


A new skin (it looks good on you)

by Aegithalos_caudatus



Series: Voltron galra Keith omo [3]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Bed-Wetting, Dads of Marmora (Voltron), Galra Keith (Voltron), Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Keith meets the paladins again, Misunderstandings, Omorashi, Wetting, messing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-20
Updated: 2020-01-20
Packaged: 2021-02-27 07:02:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 27,159
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22333084
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aegithalos_caudatus/pseuds/Aegithalos_caudatus
Summary: The third and final arc of my galra kit story.
Series: Voltron galra Keith omo [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1500398
Comments: 6
Kudos: 116





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Finally, it is here. After much delaying and procrastination, I have finished my longest work so far. This is the final part of the trilogy, but not necessarily the story. I might write some one-shots as continuation and what ifs. Just don't expect them anytime soon, I need to take a break from Voltron after this.

The fact that he was the one to make the final decision did nothing to sooth Keith’s anxiety over meeting the paladins again. In the quintants preceding their departure he gradually ate less and less and slept fitfully. On the final morning, he couldn’t even look at the breakfast and his pack had nearly called the whole thing off, thinking he was sick. Keith explained that it was just his nerves acting up and then had to explain the whole concept of fear of social rejection to his packmates. It puzzled the galra, as they viewed team Voltron as a human equivalent of a pack and there was no such thing as being rejected by the pack because of something one is. Especially if the pack had already known about it. 

The real hurdle in galran society was getting accepted into a stable pack in the first place. After that, each member would be treated as a family and the whole group would stand by each other no matter what. Pack members could be disowned, but it generally took a crime worse than murder and it was always the individual’s actions, not their nature, which caused them to be ousted. Keith’s packmates were horrified when they heard that humans would sometimes distance themselves from those they viewed as strange or different, even if they had previously been close friends or even blood relatives. The conversation then turned to the things that humans would consider abnormal, which did not raise the galras’ opinion of the human race at all, but Keith quickly reminded them that not all humans were one way just as not all galra were soldiers of an evil empire. His packmates conceded the point and moved onto the final preparations.

*****

They were travelling towards the Castle of Lions in a medium-sized ship that would serve as a makeshift headquarters for them. Since everyone aside from Keith was a high ranking officer in the Blade, they would need to stay in contact with the rest of the organization and possibly even go on some missions. It contained all the necessary equipment: technologies that the blades used daily but that would be absent in the 10 000 years old castle, some galra specific medications, and materials that would allow them to turn the cockpit into a temporary nest if the accommodations in the castle proved unsatisfactory. To put it simply, it was almost fully stocked to act as their home away from home. The only exceptions being the lack of a kitchen and a bathroom. And bathrooms were one of the subjects that Keith needed to discuss with his pack before they arrived at their destination. Taking a deep breath, he decided to just get it over with.

“Um, can I ask you guys to do something for me?”

“What do you need, kit?” asked Thace, who was sitting next to him.

“That’s just the thing. When we get to the castle, could you please not act like I am a kit or talk about it anywhere near the paladins?”

“Why? I thought that you said that your friends will accept you.”

“They probably will. It might take them a while getting used to my new looks but that’s not what this is about. It’s just that even though my galran half is becoming dominant, I am still half-human. To you, I might be a young child, but from their point of view, I’m an adult. And an adult having to drink milk formula and needing help going to the bathroom is very weird.”

“But it’s normal for a galra your age.”

“I know that, but they don’t! That’s why I am worried about them accepting me. When we first found out that I’m related to galra, they got used to the idea because nothing about me really changed. They will be expecting this to be sort of like that as well. They’ll think I’m the same, just purple and furry now.”

“But you are not,” Ulaz grasped his point, “Your instincts affect your behaviour and you have needs you didn’t have before.”

“Exactly! And while everyone who knows about galran culture would just see it as regular kit things, the paladins would not because they  _ don’t _ know anything about galra aside from the little Allura had told us. I just think that we need to ease them into this slowly. Explain about packs and galran biology first and act naturally later. If they saw the way we interact, they would probably jump to the conclusion that we are in some sort of sexual relationship.”

The last sentence made Keith’s packmates grimace in horror and disgust. 

“To imply that...” Antok sputtered indignantly, unable to even formulate a coherent sentence.

“Look, I’m just saying that to humans a bunch of unrelated people cuddling naked in the same bed basically equals sexual motives. A lot of other things galra normally do with packmates could be interpreted very differently in human culture too. Besides, some things are just plain embarrassing and not talked about. Like anything related to using the toilet. Please don’t mention anything about that in front of the paladins, ever.”

Everyone was silent for a while before Kolivan finally spoke:

“Alright, kit. They are your friends and you know them the best, so we will let you set the pace for reintroducing yourself. But, if you ever need something, you must promise that you will not hesitate to ask us for help, even if it is embarrassing. We will not force you to ask us in front of the humans. Just say that you need to speak to us alone and we will, Ok?”

“Ok, I promise.”

Satisfied that the others understood how grave his situation was, Keith curled up in his seat, intending to take a nap. It would take about five vargas to reach the castle and all the anxiety had tired him out. In a few doboshes, he dozed off and started sliding sideways. Luckily, Thace had noticed it before he could fall off and pulled the kit onto his lap. Keith opened one eye lazily and rolled himself up in the agent’s cloak, purring at the new comfort. He might as well take the chance to cuddle now since he would have to distance himself once they landed.

*****

When Keith woke up, it was to the sound of Coran’s voice coming over the comms.

“...Voltron’s currently out liberating the sector. They are due to return in half a quintant. I will help you get situated in the meantime.”

“Thank you, but we would like to inspect the accommodations first to decide whether they are appropriate,” replied Kolivan.

“Oh, I’m sure that you will find them satisfactory. The castle was built before Zarkon’s betrayal after all. There are quarters built specifically with galran guests in mind. They just haven’t been used in 10 000 deca-phoebs. There might be a few things needing a wee bit of maintenance, but you will be much better at recognizing those than me. We can go over the issues and hopefully everything will be tip-top by the time the paladins are back.”

Keith stayed motionless while Coran navigated them towards a hangar, but as soon as the screen turned off, he jumped back into his seat. Hopefully, the altean hadn’t noticed him sitting in Thace’s lap.

*****

Coran welcomed them warmly, clasping a hand with each blade and hugging Keith before leading them all to a seldom-used part of the castle. Swarms of automated cleaning drones were scuttling about the hallways and Coran apologetically explained that he hadn’t had the chance to properly prepare for their arrival due to the busy schedule of conferences, parades and diplomatic parties he had to coordinate. There was only one Voltron and it was suddenly wanted everywhere. It required some very creative scheduling. 

The chamber they were led to shared a layout similar to their own nest room at the headquarters but was much larger and more opulent. Unlike the small barrack-like rooms occupied by the paladins, this room was decorated with sleek elegant designs on the walls and furniture and obviously sported some entertainment appliances too. The adjacent washroom came equipped with implements for every variety of skin galra could possess (as Keith was glad to note since wet fur was extremely unpleasant). There was even a fabric replicator capable of producing blankets and pillows of every size and texture imaginable.

“This suite was used by visiting royal emissaries and ambassadors before Zarkon’s betrayal.” proclaimed Coran as he began the inspection. The blades joined him and soon determined almost everything to be in working order. The single exception turned out to be the toilet. It had been one of the litter-box variety but the sanitizing microbe culture was dead and there wasn’t any usable seeding substrate in the castle. Thankfully, there was a common bathroom near the end of the corridor, so it wasn’t a big issue. Kolivan eventually pronounced the room adequate and the adult galra split off to carry out different tasks. Thace and Coran were working on the replicator to produce nesting materials, Ulaz and Kolivan were collecting their products and weaving the nest, and Antok went back to the ship to bring their baggage and equipment. 

Keith stood nervously next to the door, unsure of what to do. He didn’t like the room. Back at the headquarters, the nest room was just large enough to be cosy without feeling cramped. He would probably have trouble sleeping here. The open expanse of space made him feel vulnerable. Then it occurred to him that he would likely be expected to sleep in his own room. If the paladins hadn’t cleared it out and gotten rid of all the stuff he had left there, that is. He could feel his ears pressing against his skull as his thoughts spiralled on the subject distressingly. Would the paladins be angry if he just assumed he was welcome to stay in his old room? Would they see it as a betrayal if he chose to stay with the blades instead? He was rescued from his dark musings by Kolivan calling him over to help with the nest preparation. He had a legitimate excuse to stay for now. He could deal with the panic later.

*****

Later came far too soon for Keith. In a varga, the nest was finished, all equipment was unpacked and everyone was chatting and relaxing. Coran eventually excused himself, going to check on Voltron’s progress and Keith got up and followed him. He hesitated briefly at the door, but when none of his packmates called out to him, he sped up to catch up with the altean.

“Hey, Coran!”

“Yes? How can I help you, number four?”

“I just wanted to ask if all my stuff is still in my room.”

“Of course! We kept your room ready for your return. Although, I had assumed that you would share the nest with the Blade leaders. They are your pack, are they not?”

“You know about packs?” Keith asked carefully, trying to hide his surprise. “Allura never told us about that when we asked about galra before. I thought that alteans didn’t know much about the galran culture.”

“Nonsense. After the peace treaty between Zarkon and Alfor, a lot of galra came to live on Altea. I knew quite a few of them personally.”

“Then why did Allura not mention it?”

“The princess is a princess. She lived a somewhat sheltered life before. She never got to meet any galra outside of political functions and official parties. She never really had much of a chance to see them go about their daily lives.”

“Oh.”

Coran looked at Keith silently for a while, stroking his moustache, before his face softened.

“I never even asked how are you doing. You had nearly died during the transformation. Your heart kept stuttering and you stopped breathing for a dobosh or two. Are you all right now?”

“Yeah. I get tired more easily now and have to eat galran food, but I’m fine, I guess. If you want all the details you should ask Ulaz, he can explain it better,” Keith hedged, glad that the other seemed to have forgotten his initial line of inquiry. 

Keith went to his room first and finding everything just as he had left it, he tried to relax on the bed for a while. He was too restless, however, and soon decided to join Coran on the bridge instead. He needed something to do and he didn’t want his pack to see how anxious he was.

*****

Keith could sense the Voltron lions nearing even before they contacted the castle about their impending arrival. The black lion had reached out towards his mind, sending him a mental version of greeting. It would seem that even though Black had accepted Shiro back, she still saw him as her paladin. He could feel relief radiating through the bond and beyond it, a more fiery essence echoed the same sentiment. His bond with Red was weaker now, but once he had accepted the position of the black paladin, she opened up to him again and would occasionally brush against his mind lightly. It made Lance complain of favouritism until Allura forced him to admit that he still talked with Blue on occasions. 

Coran informed the blades through the intercom and they all headed towards the hangars. Keith stood behind Coran and some distance away from his pack. The paladins arrived within a few doboshes and Allura welcomed the blades formally. She took a step towards Keith but faltered, seeming torn about something, and turned back towards the other galra. They began discussing coalition business and before long, she, Shiro, Coran, and the blades moved towards the nearest conference room. Keith was thus left with Lance, Pidge, and Hunk in awkward silence. 

“Well, I don’t know about you guys, but I’m pooped,” Lance said with a yawn, “I’m going to hit the showers and sleep. See you around mullet!” the Cuban clapped Keith on the shoulder as he walked past him, obviously trying to act as if nothing had changed. Keith appreciated the effort.

The other two paladins were nowhere near as calm. Pidge was looking at him intensely over the rim of her glasses. It was in the nature of the green paladin to be inquisitive and right now she was just burning to interrogate Keith on everything that had happened to him while he was away. Before she could begin questioning him, however, Hunk stepped forward, anxiously wringing his hands and stuttered a quick: “It’s good to have you back, galra Keith,” before fleeing the scene, likely heading towards the kitchens for a few rounds of stress-cooking. 

Pidge walked up to him and scrutinized him closely. Keith took a half step back, his lashing tail betraying his nervousness.

“You got shorter.”

“What?” Keith was flabbergasted. Out of all the possible things Pidge could have said, this was the last he would have expected. “No, I didn’t!”

“I’m pretty sure you did. You used to be almost the same height as Lance. The top of your head doesn’t even reach his nose now.”

Keith opened his mouth to retort that he would have noticed being shorter but stopped when he realized that all that he had had for comparison since he’d transformed were other galra, who were all much much taller than him anyway.

“...Maybe.”

“It’s probably because galra have much higher bone and muscle density than humans. You can’t increase density without raising the weight or decreasing the volume,” theorised Pidge with a smug grin before tackle-hugging him. “Don’t mind the idiots, they will come around. I have like a million questions for you, but that will have to wait. As rare as that is, Lance is right, a shower and sleep are definitely in order.”

“I thought you didn’t sleep?”

“Allura locked me out of the food replicators and Hunk won’t help me sneak anything with caffeine. We’ve been too busy for me to hack into them, but soon, I shall have my fuel.”

With that, Pidge ran off in the direction of her room. Keith smiled as he watched her disappear behind a corner, but he couldn’t hold on to the cheer for long. Most of the paladins took his appearance about as well as could be expected, but Shiro didn’t even nod at him to acknowledge his presence. He went straight to the blades instead as if Keith wasn’t standing in front of him after almost dying and being gone for over a phoeb. He would have expected that sort of behaviour from Allura, but even she paid him more attention. Maybe Shiro was just stressed and overly focused on the mission, Keith mused as he walked back to his own room.

*****

Laying wide awake in his bed for over a varga allowed Keith to reach several conclusions. Firstly, his room smelled nice. He never noticed it while he was human, but the mix of familiar scents from his own clothes and items gifted to him by the other paladins created a calming atmosphere almost comparable to the scent of the pack’s nest. Maybe the paladins were like a pack after all. Secondly, as nice as it smelled, the bed in his room was nowhere near as comfortable as a nest. The mattress was too flat, the blanket too small and thin, and the single measly pillow might as well not have been there at all for all the good it did. He would have to pilfer some bedding from the new nest if he had to stay in his room. He was sure his packmates wouldn’t mind if it meant that he was comfortable. Thirdly, and most importantly, he kinda needed to pee now. Getting up reluctantly, he walked to the adjacent bathroom, only to realize two things: he needed one of his packmates to be with him since this bathroom didn’t carry their scent, and he didn’t know how to use a normal toilet with his new anatomy.

The obvious solution to both of these problems was getting Antok, but the blades were still in the meeting. Kolivan made him promise to come to one of them if he needed something though, and this situation definitely counted. Allura and Shiro would be annoyed at the interruption, but his pack would stand by him and they would be unhappy if they discovered that Keith was making himself uncomfortable on the account of anything short of life-threatening. 

*****

Knowing that his packmates wanted him to come forward and actually doing so were two different things, however. For the past ten doboshes, Keith had lurked around the corner of the corridor leading to the conference room currently occupied by his pack, hoping that they would take a break and he could casually walk up to them and pretend that he had just arrived. He kept telling himself that he would wait for just a dobosh more, but the weight in his bladder reminded him that he didn’t have much time. He had grown more proficient at telling how much he needed to go with the galran sensations instead of the human urge, or perhaps his body has finally developed the nerves for it, either way, he knew that if he were human, he would be dancing on the spot and starting to leak at that point. As it was, he was just at the edge of getting locked up.

Keith was strongly reminded of the feelings he had when he was first sent to the principal’s office in elementary school as he walked up to the door and knocked. He peered in timidly. Everyone turned to look at him.

“Uh, can I borrow Antok for a moment?”

“Keith, we are in the middle of an important meeting,” Shiro frowned in disapproval.

Keith flinched at the displeasure in his voice, but before he could apologise and leave, Kolivan spoke up.

“No, it’s alright. Antok doesn’t have any information that Thace or I could not provide and we can fill him in on the discussed topics later. We can go on without him.”

Recognizing the dismissal, the largest galra got up and lumbered out of the room. Once the door closed behind him he took off his mask and smiled at Keith.

“Thanks, kit. If I had to sit there for a few more vargas my tail would be permanently bent. Whoever designed those chairs did not take alien anatomy into account.”

“Hm”

“Are you alright? The paladins didn’t hurt you did they?”

“No, that’s not it. Um. I...” Keith checked the hallway to assure himself that they were alone, “I need to go to the bathroom and I thought that you could show me how to use the altean toilets?”

“Yeah, those didn’t take alien anatomy into the account either.” Antok snorted in amusement.

*****

The bathroom they had ended up in was the common one closest to the new nest. Altean excretory systems were probably analogous to human ones, at least externally. Their toilets were certainly similar enough, unlike the strangely shaped ones found on the Blade base. It wasn’t until after he transformed that Keith understood why those were so different. 

Antok helped him get out of his armour. The proper Blade suits had a flap that could be opened to allow the wearer to use the lavatories without stripping completely, unlike the training suits, but several layers still had to be removed before that could be accessed. It was a design flaw that was somewhat inevitable, considering the placement of the waste filters. 

“Alright, we’ll try one of the stalls first.”

Keith was a bit confused about what Antok meant, but once the older galra opened the door and he walked in, he realized that none of his packmates would fit in there with him. The closest they could come would be standing at the door. Hopefully, that would still be close enough for their scent to reach him.

“The simplest way to do this would be if you sit on the toilet backwards. You’ll need to sit on the edge of the seat and aim yourself into the bowl.”

‘Easier said than done,’ thought Keith to himself. Galran penises were firmly sheathed and pointed mostly forward. The only way to aim would be to lean his whole upper body downward. He ended up leaning his forehead against the wall behind the toilet. Once he was reasonably sure that his stream would go into the intended receptacle, he closed his eyes and focused on the scents around him. Among the muted scent of cleaning agents and Coran’s cologne, he could clearly discern Antok’s presence. The adult had taken off his mask and exposed his scent glands to help him. His pack was near. There were no strangers. It was safe to relax.

The first dribble fell into the bowl and Keith was startled a little, not used to the sharp sound of liquid hitting liquid anymore. His sudden movement caused the next spurt to hit the edge of the seat and he quickly tipped forward again, not willing to stop once he got going. In a dobosh, his bladder was blissfully empty again and Antok passed him some wipes to clean his fur with.

“Are you coming to sleep in the nest?” Antok asked while Keith was cleaning his hands.

“I think that I should sleep in my old room, at least for the first few quintants.”

“Don’t isolate yourself kit. It’s not healthy for one as young as you.”

“I won't, I promised Kolivan to take care of myself, but I need to show the paladins that everything is still normal and for that, I need to go back to my old routine.”

“Your old routine involved spending unhealthy amounts of time alone in the training rooms if I recall correctly,” growled Antok.

“Well then, I guess someone would just have to come with me,” Keith quipped mischievously before running off.

Antok gave chase with a huff. He was glad that the kit was still willing to indulge in some play, even if he went about it in a roundabout way. Humans were such contrary and complicated creatures.


	2. Chapter 2

The following quintants were both better and worse than Keith had expected them to be. Better, because they were usually busy attending official meetings during which everyone acted professionally, not letting any possible disdain for galra show. Some of the planets housed regular galra citizens, who were often treated just as badly as the other aliens by the empire’s military. Zarkon had enough manpower for involuntary conscription to become unnecessary, but many of the higher-ups in the military hierarchy still considered anyone willingly staying out of the war a second class citizen. It made many of the coalition members much more amenable to the idea of cooperating with the Blade of Marmora.

The time between the meetings, however, was when it got worse. The castle-ship was filled with an atmosphere of tense awkwardness and Keith knew that it was his fault. Out of all the paladins, only Pidge was acting fully normally around him, but the diminutive genius was a bit antisocial by nature, preferring to spend her relaxation time alone or with her machines, and he really didn’t want to ruin his only good relationship by constantly forcing his presence on her.

Lance was the second-best in accepting him. He seemed to be nervous around Keith and was low-key avoiding him, but when their paths inevitably crossed, he did his best to act as if nothing had changed. The cracks in his facade could be seen by the lack of their usual banter and teasing and the one time they ended up in one room alone (Keith was reading in the lounge and Lance came in to watch a movie) Lance just stared at him for 10 doboshes with a strange expression on his face before asking why he wasn’t on the training deck. Keith took it as a cue to leave (Antok had later found him alone in the training room running a high-level simulation, carried him to the nest, and literally sat on him until he promised not to do it again).

Unlike Lance, Hunk was avoiding him openly, to the point where he would squeak in surprise and run out of the room if he accidentally encountered him. Keith, in turn, had started avoiding the kitchen, which he knew was Hunk’s sanctuary. It limited his access to food somewhat, but he was attending (some of) the common meals and drinking his milk formula and that was quite enough for his diminished appetite. 

Shiro and Allura were not avoiding him but were busier than the other paladins, so he didn’t see them as much. Shiro was acting a bit cold and official towards everyone, which Keith just ascribed to the stress of being the leader of Voltron again. Allura was their main diplomat, having received proper training for it as a princess, so she was often answering messages from members and potential members of the coalition long after everyone went to rest. The first time he was helping her, he had caught her looking at him sadly when she thought he wasn’t paying attention. Eventually, he gathered the courage to meet her glance during one of those moments. To his horror, her eyes filled with tears and she drew him into a hug, apologizing profoundly for how she had treated him after he changed. Keith was somewhat confused by this, as the first thing he remembered after losing consciousness was waking up at the Marmora headquarters. Was that why Kolivan had been so angry? Either way, he reassured the princess that he did not hold it against her. After that, she was no longer so tense with him, but she started treating him really carefully, as if he were fragile. It was quite endearing, but it was also starting to get on Keith’s nerves.

Coran was his usual eccentric self and aside from Pidge was the only one who genuinely treated him the same as before. Keith would help him around the castle when his pack was preoccupied. That happened fairly often, as they had to run the Blade of Marmora on top of all the coalition meetings and private debates with Allura and Shiro where they discussed tactics. He was starting to feel slightly lonely. He would not allow himself to act kit-like when the paladins might be around, but neither did he want to disturb his packmates while they were working. Being near them but not letting himself get close felt worse than being away from them altogether. The adult galra were doing their best to spend time with him, but the circumstances were not conducive to that, so when Kolivan had asked him to go on a short solo mission he jumped at the chance to escape the stifling air of the Castle of Lions.

*****

The mission was supposed to be a simple one. A group of rebels had discovered an abandoned empire base and wanted to search it, but they needed someone with galran DNA to open the genetic locks. Once they were in, they had swiftly dispatched all the remaining functional sentries. The base turned out to be larger than expected though, and Keith ended up staying to help the rebels explore the secret underground areas. There were many small cell-like rooms, some empty, some filled with crates and vials and some containing corpses. The cadavers were barely more than bones with some desiccated skin stretched over them but it was still possible to see that they had been horribly disfigured. The reason behind that became obvious soon after, as one of the larger doors opened to reveal a lab full of containers of quintessence. The glowing liquid almost caused Keith to have a panic attack, but he was able to stay in control of himself by leaving the room quickly. Nobody was surprised when a search of the supplies revealed several druid robes. After barely stopping one of the rebels from killing them all by opening a booby-trapped crate, the leader of the operation asked Keith to stay a bit longer and check everything before they touched it. With a sigh of resignation, he sent a message to his packmates and went to work.

The mission had dragged on too long. He knew he was in trouble several vargas earlier when his bladder went from feeling heavy to slightly achy, but he stayed, not knowing how to excuse himself in a way that would not reveal his predicament. By the time he got into his pod, his lower belly would occasionally cramp painfully. He wasn’t entirely conscious of piloting back, letting his instincts guide him while all his consciousness focused on the building pain in his bladder. He felt like he finally understood why galra were so open about peeing. No one would willingly hold it if this was the result. When Keith’s pod finally touched down in the hangar, he didn’t think he would even be able to stand up, much less walk all the way over to the nest. Yet, he had to. Only his pack could help him now and it was in the middle of the night cycle. No one would be around. He attempted to rise out of the pilot’s seat but a spasm below his navel forced him back down. Caught off guard and too desperate to care, Keith’s instincts took over and he cried out, shrilling a long mewl so high-pitched it almost sounded like a whistle. 

*****

Luckily for Keith, not all of the castle’s occupants were asleep. Thace had decided to stay up waiting for the kit and was spending time with Pidge. The green paladin had reclaimed the coffee and was back to her all-nighters. They were discussing technologies and he was teaching her some techniques that would allow her to send an undetectable message when he suddenly heard the unmistakable sound of a kit in distress. He was on his feet immediately, running towards the parked pod and cursing his inattention. He hadn’t even noticed the ship arriving. Forcing the door open, he leapt into the ship’s cockpit. He didn’t even need to examine the kit. The little whimpery mewls that came out with each exhale told him what the issue was.

“What’s going on? Is he hurt? Does he need the healing pods?” Pidge hadn’t heard the kit’s cry, so she was confused and concerned at Thace’s sudden actions. 

Thace hesitated for a moment. Keith had expressly forbidden them from talking about this particular topic in front of the paladins, but these were extenuating circumstances.

“Kit, can I let the green paladin help?” at Keith’s barely perceptible nod, he turned to the girl.

“He’s not injured, but he’s in pain. It’s a very personal problem that he previously didn’t want you to know about. The pods can’t help here. I’ll explain later. Right now, I need you to get a clean bucket and half-fill it with lukewarm water.”

Pidge didn’t need any further prompting and she scrambled off to fetch the required item. Thace, in the meantime, hurried over to their ship to get the stimulation cloth, a pad, and some blankets. Having gathered all he needed, he rushed back to the pod, arranged the bedding into a small makeshift nest and laid Keith onto it. Being moved was obviously painful to the kit. It made him whine and gag and Thace had to hold him up to prevent him from choking on the watery vomit. Just then Pidge had returned and they both jumped into action, with Thace alternating between giving instructions and explaining the procedure they would have to perform. They stripped off his suit, put him into a recovery position and placed a pad under him. The girl pulled Keith’s head onto her lap and began running her fingers through his hair to distract and comfort him.

“So he just really needs to piss?”

“There is no ‘just’ about needing to urinate for the galra. His bladder is overfilled and locked up; it’s extremely painful and he can’t release. Moreover, galran bodies have the ability to reabsorb water from the bladder to prevent dehydration. Normally it’s a harmless process, but when it gets like this the body will take up the extra liquid too fast to filter out all the toxins in an effort to prevent physical rupturing of the bladder. The vomiting is an advanced symptom of that. His body is getting overhydrated and trying to get rid of the unnecessary liquid. A few more vargas and he would die. Even an ordinary galra would be at serious risk of illness or internal injury as a result of retaining this long, but Keith is a one of a kind hybrid. We cannot predict how much it will affect him.” 

“But why didn’t he just go before he got stuck?”

Thace hoped that Keith wouldn’t be too angry at him as he began explaining what they had learned about him since he came to the headquarters. The kit had finally settled down enough to be stimulated and he didn’t want to cause him any unnecessary discomfort. As full as he was, even the stimulation would be painful for a good while before he began to feel the relief. For a first dobosh he couldn’t coax any liquid out of the kit, but not long after the tip of his penis was beaded with dark brownish urine. Thace hissed in displeasure at the colour and by the worried look on the green paladin’s face, he assumed it was a bad thing for humans too. He patiently repeated the circular motions around the kit’s genitals, occasionally rinsing and rewetting the cloth. The process was slow, both because of the amount of liquid in the kit’s bladder and because it was being discharged by droplets and an occasional weak trickle.

“So he can only pee when one of you is with him?”

“Technically, all he needs is our scent.”

“Why did you let him go alone when you knew this could happen?”

“The mission was supposed to be safe and much shorter, and he had an injectable muscle relaxant with him. I don’t know why he didn’t use it.”

“Didn’t think t’would be this bad,” mumbled Keith as he weakly leaned into Pidge’s touch.

“...I’m going to get Ulaz to give you lectures on galran health and anatomy. We always seem to forget that you had no way to learn the basic facts of self-care in your new body.”

“Oh, if you’re gonna start while still here, can I attend too?” Pidge perked up. “I kinda have an idea about something that could prevent this from happening again. I’ll need to borrow his suit to implement it, though. If I know what other problems he might have, I can help him if he has to go on a mission with Voltron. Actually, it might be useful for all the paladins to know a bit about first aid for galra since we are allies with you now.”

“That’s not a bad idea. I’m sure Ulaz would agree. As for the suit, feel free to borrow it. The kit is going to be on strict bed rest for at least a quintant and not having any clothes might motivate him to stay.”

Keith grumbled at that and Pidge snorted, “Yeah, wouldn’t want him to sneak off to the training deck.”

“Antok swore he would put him on a leash if he found him there one more time.”

As they chatted, Keith’s bladder slowly deflated. Tension seemed to drain from his body together with the urine. In the beginning, he would occasionally comment on something they said, but the verbal answers gradually became scarcer and eventually, his body went limp in sleep. When Thace finally judged that the kit’s bladder was empty, he wiped down his fur and scooped him up into his arms. Keith curled closer to his chest and laid his head in the crook of his neck. Pidge internally cooed at the image.

“You get him to the nest, I’ll take care of cleaning up,” she offered.

Thace thanked her and walked off.

*****

The pack seemed to be sleeping lightly as everyone stirred at the quiet swoosh of the door opening. Ulaz growled when Thace described the state he had found their kit in and they gave him some space to properly examine Keith.

The doctor did not like what he found. The kit’s entire lower abdomen was tender, a bruise began forming below his fur, his scent was sickly, and he was purring quietly. That was not the sound of pleasure and comfort. It was the sort of purr that signified torn tissues and a body’s attempt to speed the healing along. Ulaz was very displeased.

“If I had known it would end like this, I would have never agreed that we come to the castle.”

“Come on, ‘Laz, this would have happened sooner or later anyway. We underestimated just how much help he needs to adjust.”

“Yes, he is definitely getting those lectures. We should have thought of that sooner. But more than that, we should have been looking out for him. Even a kit that’s almost an adult would get more attention than we have been giving him. The worst thing, though, is that we allowed him to isolate himself, expecting him to come to us if he needed something like a full galran kit would. We forgot that his human emotions can sometimes overpower his instincts and that he has no way to know where his limits are now. He has been ignoring his basic needs. We should have noticed and stepped in. We should have been making sure that he was adapting to his new environment well.”

“The castle isn’t new to Keith,” interjected Antok, ducking under the doctor’s angry glare.

“Out of everyone here you should know best just how untrue that is. How many times did he have to ask you about doing things without his tail getting in the way since we arrived? In his current body, this place is unfamiliar to him. The stress he had been under since we arrived had compromised his health, making his current situation worse. From now on, he is not allowed to be alone anywhere outside of the nest until we can be reasonably sure that he won’t accidentally hurt himself out of ignorance. You can take that as an official medical order.”

“Is he going to be alright?” asked Kolivan with barely masked worry in his voice.

“Yes. I’ll need to take him to the infirmary and scan him, but that can wait until morning. We need to wake him up now and get him to drink some water to flush all the toxins out. We will need to monitor his fluid intake and output over the next few quintants. We will also need to make sure that he’s resting properly.”

“I don’t think that last part will be very difficult,” smirked Thace, “The green paladin said she might be able to solve the kit’s bathroom issue and borrowed his suit. I don’t think he will be very keen on walking around with nothing to wear.”

Keith was grumpy upon being woken up, but a few rumbles and purrs from Kolivan soon reduced him to a pliable puddle of a sleepy kit. He started protesting again when the blades tucked him into the nest, insisting he should be going to his room, but once he saw that all resistance was futile, he snuggled down into the blankets, tucked his head against Kolivan’s chest to block out the unnervingly open room, and went to sleep. The pack arranged themselves around the kit so that he couldn’t sneak out of the nest without waking one of them. 


	3. Chapter 3

Galas were loud boring and just plain horrible. Keith came to that conclusion a while ago, when a dancing alien stepped on his tail for the third time. Now he was standing in a corner leaning against the wall and keeping his tail away from trampling feet. Antok, who was his designated minder for the evening, was standing nearby, mirroring his pose. His pack was truly intent on honouring their threat/promise to not let him be alone.

*****

When Keith had woken up the morning after his mission to find himself in a nest surrounded by his packmates, he thought for a moment that they were back at the base. As soon as he realised that they were still in the castle, his first action had been an attempt to slink out of the nest, just as his packmates had predicted. He carefully wriggled out of Kolivan’s loose embrace, but unfortunately, he didn’t notice that Antok had wrapped his tail around his ankle. The largest galra had awoken when he felt the kit moving and promptly pulled him back down into the nest.

“Sleep, kit. You had a late night.”

Keith pouted at that. He couldn’t deny that he was still sleepy, but he needed to get up. His bladder was aching and laying on his stomach made it worse.

“I need to pee, ‘Tok.”

Much to Keith’s surprise, Antok didn’t simply take him to the bathroom. Instead, he woke Ulaz first and told him that Keith had to go. Ulaz instructed them to wait for him in the nest. The doctor returned shortly with all the supplies necessary for stimulation, laid down a pad and motioned at Keith to come closer.

“Your bladder will most likely be a little locked up because of how you overstrained it yesterday. I need to see how much you can go by yourself. You’ll be on strict nest confinement until you can once again void without stimulation.” 

Keith wasn’t happy to hear that, but he was feeling a bit off, so he complied with Ulaz’s instructions. He tried to squat down near the edge of the square, but the position was putting pressure on his still sore abdominal muscles and a twinge of pain made him lose balance. Before he could fall, Ulaz had caught him and knelt behind him to stabilize and support him. Keith tried to relax and go, but all he managed to produce were weak stuttering spurts. The ache in his bladder was still present and he whined in frustration at not being able to get rid of it. Ulaz took that as a cue to start stimulating him. Once the kit was done, the doctor very carefully cleaned him with disinfecting wipes and palpated his lower abdomen and his back around the position of his kidneys. Some of those places were obviously tender, as the kit flinched away even from his gentle touch. Ulaz hummed in dissatisfaction and carried the kit back to the nest, waking the other pack members.

“Kit, we need to take you to the infirmary for a scan and then we need to have a serious talk.”

“Talk? Wait, infirmary? Right now? I can’t walk around the castle naked.”

“You say that as if we are going to let you walk after the stunt you pulled yesterquintant,” Antok growled while petting Keith’s hair.

“I’m sorry,” the kit’s ears drooped and he pulled his tail close to his body, “ I just really didn't expect it to get that bad.”

“We aren’t angry at you, kit.”

“But you are disappointed?”

“A bit, yes,” sighed Ulaz, “But not with you. We are disappointed with ourselves as your packmates and surrogates and I’m disappointed in myself as a doctor. There is a procedure that should be followed when raising a one of a kind hybrid and I had been badly neglecting it.”

“Procedure?”

“Don’t worry kit, it’s nothing bad. Just frequent check-ups and some blood and urine tests to make sure that you are getting all the nutrients you need, not getting sick, and that you are developing in a healthy way. In your case, there should have also been a psychological assessment to determine your level of maturity and instincts. But we are going to get started on that from now on.”

“Is that why we need to go to the infirmary?”

“No, we need to go because I need to make sure that you don’t have any internal injuries and that you won’t get blood poisoning.”

*****

Keith had still refused to leave the nest naked, but eventually compromised and accepted a borrowed bathrobe for the journey there and back. Antok swept him up and carried him, threatening to throw him over his shoulder like a sack if he didn’t stop squirming. Considering that Keith’s abdomen was very sore, he decided not to risk it. The rocking motion of Antok’s gait was making him sleepy and docile anyway and he had almost dozed off by the time they reached the infirmary. Coran was already there, ready to assist the galra in operating the altean technology.

“I’ve got a pod ready for you, lad. Get in and you’ll be out before you know it.”

It was a testament to how sleep muddled Keith was that he didn’t even protest being put into a pod naked (the usual suits didn’t have tail holes). Once the pod lid closed over him, Ulaz and Coran began putting together a model to use as a reference in scanning Keith. They weren’t certain how galra Keith was internally and would have to conduct a series of scans to ascertain it. While the two were busy exchanging medical and technical jargon, Antok sat down in front of the pod, fully intending on staying there until the kit reemerged.

*****

Four full vargas later Keith stumbled out and landed on top of him. The kit was disoriented and weak and still slightly chilled from the cryopod. Antok covered him with the bathrobe and pulled him closer, attempting to share some warmth. The technology might be remarkably efficient, but an injured kit needed emotional support from the pack first and foremost. Ulaz would not have agreed to leave him there if he had a choice, but the risk of sepsis that the scans had discovered forced his hand. The castle did not have the equipment necessary to treat a galra in such a serious condition, so they had to do everything possible to prevent it. That did not mean that he was happy with it, though. The kit needed Kolivan right now. Some cuddling with his bonded caretaker would help soothe the effects of the pod and the previous isolation. Shooting a message to the pack leader, Antok got up and trudged back to the nest. The kit was still in for a lecture, but that could wait until the next quintant. Rest, snuggles, and a lot of liquids was exactly what the doctor ordered and Antok was going to make sure that Keith got plenty of all three.

*****

At the start of the next day cycle, Keith could finally void by himself again and his pack had reluctantly permitted him to leave the nest, as long as he stayed with one of them, Coran, or Pidge. Much to the kit’s embarrassment, the younger girl had been voted as responsible enough to watch over him for short time periods. The blades had been especially impressed by her efforts to help by modifying Keith’s suit. She had managed to alter the mask in such a way that a small container of aromatic substances could be attached to the air ducts and triggered to release a scent. The substance would stay within the mask for several doboshes after a single release. She then hacked into one of the castle’s replicators to make it produce any mixture of organic molecules she would want. All she needed was a sample from the pack to analyse and she could begin producing Eau du galra. It would be a good thing if she could finish it quickly because that same evening they would have a great opportunity to test it. The prospect of regaining some autonomy over his bathroom visits kept Keith in a good mood despite his pack being busy once again. He spent his day helping Pidge, testing the samples of the synthetic scents she was producing.

*****

The planet’s inhabitants had insisted that every single person in the castle had to attend the gala. Coran had been against it since it would mean leaving the castle ship empty and unguarded, but it was the only thing that had been declared non-negotiable in an otherwise extremely reasonable treaty and so they had been forced to agree. The celebration itself was magnificent. Important aliens from all areas of public life had been invited and everyone soon found a group to socialise with. Pidge, Hunk, Thace, Ulaz and Coran were debating with the top scientists and engineers, Lance was flirting with everything remotely feminine, Allura and Kolivan were schmoozing with the diplomats, and Shiro was talking to some high-ranking military officers.

Keith and Antok had originally been talking to the military officers too. Keith was having a heated debate about the best ways to outmanoeuvre galra fighters with the general in charge of the planet’s defence fleet. Antok had found a sympathetic soul in an elderly minister of war and they were venting their frustrations at the lack of good quality supplies and at being forced to improvise when provisioning troops. The conversations were interrupted by a call for all guests to be seated to eat dinner. 

The banquet consisted of seven courses interspersed by speeches from many important political figures. It was long and boring, but the food and drink were delicious enough to make up for it. Keith was of course not allowed to have any alcohol (galran legal drinking age was 200 deca-phoebs and Ulaz had put his foot down, prohibiting any potentially damaging substances), so he was drinking some sort of fruit juice. By the time the fourth course had arrived, he was thankful for it, in fact. The culture of the planet had dictated that every time someone made a toast, everyone had to take at least a sip of their drinks, and pretending to drink without doing so was considered a mortal offence. Even the other paladins and blades had switched to nonalcoholic beverages after the second or third glass. If Keith had still been with the paladins, he and Lance would likely have turned it into a competition and he would have been too stubborn to back down before he got catastrophically drunk. And that would have happened relatively quickly, considering that someone toasted to Voltron, the coalition, or the heroes every other dobosh. He was now on his sixth glass, and even taking the smallest sips socially acceptable, he was beginning to feel uncomfortable with all the liquid sloshing in his overfull stomach. He was also getting rather tired. The dinner had been going on for two vargas already and they were just halfway through. Luckily, Kolivan had forced him to take a nap before they left the castle, otherwise, he would be at serious risk of nodding off and faceplanting into his plate. 

By the time the desserts were cleared away and the guests were allowed to leave the tables and mingle again, Keith was simply too exhausted to want to talk anymore. Still, he followed Antok when he went to finish the discussion that was interrupted before. Standing behind his packmate, he made no effort to join the discourse. Boisterous drunk aliens were milling about them, sometimes dancing, sometimes merely stumbling towards some destination, but too often bumping into Keith or jostling him around. Someone stepping on his tail repeatedly was the last straw for him and he sneaked away, finding a quieter portion of the great hall and sagging against the wall. He was starting to seriously consider crawling under one of the buffet tables, curling up, and going to sleep for the rest of the party when Antok finally joined him. The older blade seemed to be on the verge of scolding him for leaving without saying anything, but seeing his slumped posture made him change his mind and he simply joined Keith, leaning against the same wall.

“Are you alright, kit?”

“I’m fine, just tired. How much longer do we need to stay here?”

“At least three more vargas.”

“I’m not sure I’ll be able to stay awake that long,” Keith admitted, much to his own surprise. It wasn’t like him to declare a weakness like that out loud, but his kit side tended to get stronger when he was sleepy, and Antok was pack. 

Antok was just as surprised to hear it, and turned to assess the kit’s state. Under closer scrutiny, he could easily see the drooping, slightly reddened eyes, the way his head would slowly slip downward before jerking up again, and, most worryingly, his arms hugging his lower stomach. The kit was either feeling nauseous or his bladder was sore again.

“Are you sick or do you need to pee?”

“Both, ...maybe? I’m pretty sure I overate, but the pain in my stomach makes it hard to tell how much I actually need to go.”

“Try the mask?”

Keith hummed in agreement and switched the scent on. In a tick, the comforting scent of his packmates hit his senses and made him relax involuntarily, but not enough to let go. His mind, as sluggishly sleepy as it was, could still register the partying crowd all around them. The pack might be close by, but he was still in public, still surrounded by strangers. He tried to close his eyes and block his ears, but it didn’t help. He still knew they were there.

“...Can’t”

Antok’s tail drooped slightly at that. “So the green paladin’s idea did not work?”

“I think it’s working. The scent did make me relax.”

“Then why couldn’t you go? That should have been enough to overcome your instinct.”

“It’s the crowd, I can’t just go when I know that people can see me.”

“But they won’t see anything, it will all be hidden under your suit. And your instinct should only make you anxious around unfamiliar galra, not other species.”

“I don’t think it’s a galra thing. It’s a human thing, or, hell, maybe it’s just a me thing,” Keith slid down and sat on the ground, frustrated, “I just can’t go, my whole abdomen hurts so much I’m not even sure if it’s my stomach or my bladder, and I really just want to sleep.”

After the outburst, Antok concernedly watched Keith curl up. The small tantrum was a rather normal thing for a sleep-deprived kit, but the young blade would usually keep tight control of his actions, not showing any behaviour that could be considered childish outside of the nest.

“Don’t move from here, I’ll be right back.”

Keith looked up just in time to see Antok hurry off into the crowd. He briefly considered standing back up but decided to rest his head on his knees for a while instead.

*****

The next thing Keith became aware of was a large hand gently shaking his shoulder. After blinking the blurriness of sleep away, he saw Kolivan kneeling in front of him with an elderly looking alien wearing a fancy version of a servant’s uniform. The pack leader helped him stand up, steadying him once he was upright.

“Keith, this is Merula. She will take you to a room so you can rest properly. Ulaz and I will stop by in a few doboshes to check on you.”

Kolivan waited for the kit to nod in recognition before leaving them alone. Keith turned to Merula and eyed her uncertainly. She was slightly shorter than him but much wider and seemed rather stern until she smiled at him. The expression transformed her whole visage and she radiated a kind grandmotherly vibe that reminded him of the happy fat grannies pictured on some Earth food products, but he didn’t doubt that she could be quite intimidating if she got angry.

“Come on sweetie, let’s get you to bed.”

Keith followed numbly, feeling as if he were hovering some distance behind his body and watching everything around him on a screen. Merula was leading him by the hand to make sure that she would not lose him in the crowd and muttering to herself in an irritated tone.

“...and forcing such a young child to attend this ridiculous event. I will have to have a word with Nargol...”

“Nargol?” Keith blinked and came closer to awareness at the name, “the king?”

“Yes, the king. I was his nanny you know. And his children’s as well, before they grew up and I was assigned the job of seneschal instead. The boy is really overenthusiastic when it comes to legends and stories. When he heard that both the paladins of Voltron and the leaders of the elusive Blade of Marmora will be aboard that castle, he did everything in his power to get you all to come here, without any care for your comfort.”

Before he could complain that he didn’t need a nanny, they entered a cosy little bedroom. Merula began fussing about so quickly that he had trouble following her.

“You galra really like pillows, don’t you? Here, a few extra ones to make you more comfortable. How many blankets do you want? Is the mattress soft enough for you? Or is it too soft? The other galra said that you might be feeling a bit sick from overeating. I’m afraid that we don’t have any medicine that would be safe for you, but I’ll bring some crackers and water. It might make you feel better. Do you want to take your suit off? Or is it comfortable enough to sleep in? The bathroom is through that door if you want to wash up...”

She didn’t seem to actually need his input as she flittered around the room, gathering and moving things. Keith decided to try the washroom. He wanted to brush his teeth or at least rinse out his mouth. Something he ate must have had a weird aftertaste because his tongue felt disgusting. As soon as he entered the ensuite, however, his nose was assaulted by the extremely strong scent of some sort of soap. It smelled fruity and not entirely unpleasant, but the intensity of the scent made his stomach turn and he barely had the time to put his head over the toilet before throwing up.

In a tick, a pair of hands was pulling back his hair and a female voice was cooing at him reassuringly. He was too preoccupied with trying to catch his breath between bouts of painful heaving and coughing to discern any words, but the tone was calming. At some point, the hands changed and the voice was substituted by deep rumbling. The new hands left his hair and moved to his stomach and neck, massaging them in a strange way. It made Keith bring up more of his stomach contents, but the vomiting was less painful than before and his stomach began to feel lighter.

Once Keith was fairly sure that he was done, he withdrew from the foul-smelling contents of the toilet and shivered miserably when he came in contact with the cold tiled wall. The body behind him reached to flush. The galra drew him into his lap and cleaned his face with a damp washcloth, paying close attention to his hair and fur and making him blow his nose. Once his sense of smell was no longer obstructed, he recognized the person holding him as Kolivan and completely melted against him. He didn’t even care that he was peeing full force while sitting in someone’s lap, and his trusted caretaker did not seem to mind either, as he brought one hand to caress the area over Keith’s bladder. Finally completely empty, Keith tucked his head under Kolivan’s chin and fell asleep.

*****

Kolivan could tell the exact moment that the kit had recognised him because he went completely limp in his arms. He couldn’t tell how conscious the kit had been, but the soft hissing sound of urine hitting the waste filter of the suit led him to assume that it was somewhere along ‘not very’, since conscious Keith would not pee in his suit while sitting next to a toilet. He gently rubbed the kit’s abdomen to encourage him to void completely. Once he was done, the kit pressed himself closer and sighed, breathing evening out to signal deep sleep.

Lifting the kit up, he carried him bridal style to the bedroom where Ulaz was already waiting. A quick check-up revealed nothing was wrong and they left the room to attend their diplomatic duties at the party, lending a comm to Merula, who was staying to watch over Keith. When the celebration was finally over, they did not bother waking Keith up before taking him back to the castle.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning, this chapter contains poop.

Of course, the fact that he was carried back to the castle did not go unnoticed by the paladins. Kolivan had given an excuse that he had had too much to drink and the others had believed it, having barely escaped the same fate themselves. Lance had even teased him over being a lightweight. It made Keith happy because it meant that whatever issues Lance had with him were starting to diminish. Unfortunately, the same could not be said about Shiro, who had pulled him aside to berate him about improper behaviour during diplomatic functions. The harsh scolding had left Keith nearly in tears and he retreated to an unused part of the castle to compose himself (i.e. cry where no one would know about it). 

Unfortunately for Keith, the rule of him not being allowed to be alone was still in effect and Kolivan had found him soon after. Even though he had calmed down by then, the pack leader could easily tell that he had been upset and refused to let him be until he admitted what was bothering him. Keith was reluctant at first, but after some gentle prodding, he started to confide in the pack leader.

*****

When Kolivan finally found the kit, the first thing he noted were the dried tear tracks on his fur. He decided not to bring any attention to them though, and focused rather on coaxing out the reasons why the kit was upset in the first place. When Keith finally finished talking, he couldn’t decide whether he was more angry at himself or the paladins. 

Their kit had been feeling anxious and lonely during the entirety of their stay in the Castle of Lions, and he suddenly found himself strongly agreeing with Ulaz. They never should have come here in the first place. Being too busy with work was not a good excuse for leaving a kit unattended and he made a note to urge the doctor to conduct the mental assessment as soon as possible. The way Keith oscillated between his adult human mindset and his instinctual kit behaviours was truly alarming. 

“Let’s go back to the nest. You need a bit more sleep after what happened last night, and I need to speak with our pack.”

“You are going to have an ‘adult only’ talk while I am asleep, aren’t you?” accused Keith suspiciously.

“Yes. Quite frankly, kit, I am going to consult Ulaz on whether we should just return to the base and send someone else to finish this diplomatic farce instead. We are not accomplishing anything that we couldn’t do just as efficiently from the headquarters and it’s putting more strain on you than any of us are comfortable with.”

“No!”

“That’s not your decision to make alone. If Ulaz says that remaining here won’t do you too much harm, you can try to persuade us to stay, but, if his professional medical opinion indicates that it is too detrimental for you, we will be leaving.”

Kolivan’s firm tone indicated that he wouldn’t be open to arguments, so Keith merely squirmed to be set down and allowed himself to be escorted back to the nest.

*****

When he next woke up, it was nearing the middle of the day cycle. The soft tapping of fingers against a screen had alerted him to the fact that he was not alone in the room. Peeking out from beneath the covers, he glanced about and discovered that Ulaz was sitting leaning against the opposite wall and writing something on a pad. One of the doctor’s long ears twitched and cocked slightly in Keith’s direction, indicating that the other was aware of his movement. For a second, Keith could barely repress the urge to snicker and hide beneath the covers. He wanted the pack to search for him! The moment passed quickly though, and he got up to hear the doctor’s verdict.

“Are we leaving?”

Ulaz sighed and laid the device on the ground. “No. Not yet at least. We need to stay for a movement more in any case, since there are some diplomatic meetings planned which we cannot just cancel.”

“But after that?”

“Be honest with me now. Do you really want to stay?”

“I...” the question gave Keith a pause. Were they going to change their minds if he said yes? It couldn’t hurt to try…”Yes. I want to stay longer. I think I’m finally getting somewhere with the other paladins. I mean, Allura doesn’t watch me like I'm going to shatter at any second anymore, and Lance even made fun of me this morning.”

“...And that is a good thing?” Ulaz raised an eyebrow incredulously.

“It’s better than him acting like I’m some sort of extinct animal that suddenly appeared in front of him. Making fun of each other and being competitive was kind of our thing, you know, before.”

“Hmm. Alright. I cannot really judge human interactions I suppose, so I’m going to take your word on this. To answer your question, we have decided that I will do a thorough health evaluation for you, both physical and mental, and we will decide how to proceed after we see the results. The technology in the castle is advanced enough to give detailed readouts and we have the advantage of having young humans your age here. I can use them to create an approximate baseline for your human half.”

“When?”

“As soon as possible. However, you are too stressed right now. The results of the examination wouldn’t be accurate enough in your current state, so before we do anything we are going to go on a small trip as a pack, to bond and relax.”

“Don’t you have too much work?”

“Kolivan might have told the black paladin that we are going to investigate a potentially important lead to get us all off the hook from more tactic meetings.”

“‘Van lied to Shiro?” Keith perked his ears and cocked his head slightly to the side at this question.

“Lie is such an ugly word. It was more of a misdirection.”

“So ‘Van lied to Shiro.”

“Yes, I suppose he did. But we have approached the princess and her advisor first and she was the one who suggested bending the truth. I believe that they are planning some recreational activities too. The whole Voltron had lately been strained by his uptightness, apparently.”

“Oh. Where are we going?”

“There is an old wreck-yard for decommissioned and stripped empire cruisers. It hadn’t been in use for nearly two hundred deca-phoebs. We train new agents there sometimes. It’s basically a playground. We are going to show you some traditional galran games.”

*****

Eerie wind was howling around the creaking hulls of dead space-ships as the quintet of glara crept through the empty halls. Keith had soon learned that the traditional galran games do not have any set rules, and proceed more according to what the pack felt like doing. Right now, they were exploring. The wreck-yard was huge, covering the entire surface of a moderately sized moon with a breathable atmosphere. The blades had not been to all parts of it yet. The ship they had discovered had been a prototype and everyone in the pack was curious as to why it was never used. Peering into empty rooms while looking for clues made Keith feel like he was on an episode of Scooby-Doo, but there was something exhilarating about sorting through empty compartments to find scraps of data and piece together what could have happened. A lucky find by Thace showed that the model had been discarded due to the engine’s proneness to overheating. A boring conclusion to the mystery, but it was fun while it lasted.

They took a snack break and while the other three weren’t looking, Ulaz and Thace had sneaked away. This was appropriately accepted as a challenge by Kolivan and Antok, who took Keith and went to search for them. The game soon devolved into a strange hybrid of hide-and-seek and capture the flag. With Keith being the flag. The kit was barely stifling giggles when Thace crept behind Antok, tripped him, swept Keith into his arms, and whisked him away. Whichever team had him would attempt to hold onto him for as long as possible. Kolivan and Antok would guard him and outrun the other two if they heard them coming. Thace and Ulaz relied on the element of surprise and tried to hide with him instead. After a few rounds, Keith decided he was tired of getting snatched and ran away from both groups. He had the advantage of being able to fit through small spaces, so he would taunt his packmates and slip away through a crack, forcing them to take the long way around. The other four split up to try to corner him, but he crawled into a maintenance shaft and gave them all a slip. He moved all over the ship to shake them off. He spent a while hiding on the top of some beams in one of the main corridors thinking about what to do next. He was a bit tired of running, being alone was getting boring, and he had a slight stomach ache. Probably from too much activity too soon after eating. Suddenly, he heard footsteps approaching. Kolivan was walking along the corridor, obviously searching for him. He could call out and let the leader know he was there, but that would not be any fun. Carefully pulling his limbs under him, he tensed in preparation, and as soon as Kolivan walked past his hiding place, he pounced.

*****

Kolivan had heard a slight noise and turned around just in time to catch an armful of kit. The force of the impact had knocked him down and he could feel blunt canines biting at his ear playfully. He went limp to indicate surrender and the kit let go, growling victoriously. Then the sound cut off abruptly, and the kit scrambled off of his chest. He sat up to see what was wrong.

“Oh my god, I bit you! I’m so sorry! I don’t know what came over me. Are you alright? I shouldn’t have jumped on you like that.”

There it was. The kit had apparently shaken off his instincts and was worrying about human norms again. Suppressing the urge to growl, he pulled the kit onto his lap again and rumbled at him, prompting a response through their bond. The kit tucked his head under his chin and chirped uncertainly, asking for forgiveness and reassurance. He obviously wasn’t sure what he had done wrong. The uneasiness from his human part was probably bleeding over to his galran side as well. That could not be allowed to stand. A few more rumbles and scratches through his hair had calmed the kit sufficiently, but his human fears would require a verbal response to assuage. 

“You didn’t do anything wrong, Keith. Biting is normal in the heat of a game, and your teeth are not sharp enough to hurt anyway.”

The kit responded by nuzzling into his neck and fiddling with his braid. They sat there, resting for a while, before the kit gave a jaw unhinging yawn. Kolivan checked his pad and found that it had been over five vargas since they had arrived. It was about time to start heading back. Sending a message to everyone to meet them on the ship, he rearranged the kit in his arms and stood up.

*****

Even though Kolivan had moved smoothly while getting up, the motion still didn’t agree with Keith’s guts and his stomach ache returned with an unexpected vehemence, causing him to whine. 

“What’s wrong? Are you hurt?”

Before Keith had a chance to answer, his stomach gurgled loudly, betraying his condition to the adult. Kolivan paused, obviously pondering something, his eyebrows lowering into a frown as he looked at Keith.

“...kit, when was the last time you went?”

“Just before we left? You were there.”

“Keith! That was over eight quintants ago. Why have you been holding it all this time!? And more importantly, how?”

“I was too embarrassed to ask how to do that with a tail. And I haven’t felt very hungry lately, so I wasn’t eating that much...” Keith shrunk under Kolivan’s glare, knowing full well that the confession did not make his primary caretaker happy. The other’s growl confirmed that assumption.

“Kit, once we get back to the castle you will be required to participate in at least three meals a day and we will begin scheduling your bathroom breaks again. We might even inform the advisor and the green paladin since we are obviously too busy to watch you all the time.”

Keith had wanted to retort about not needing babysitters, but he could sense that the pack leader was not in the mood to squabble at the moment, and besides, his behaviour had been a bit irresponsible. Soon, however, he had to refocus his attention onto a more pressing matter. Quite literally so. He suddenly wasn’t sure he would be able to hold it all the way back to the castle. His tail had started to twitch slightly, heralding the impending bowel movement, but Keith had stubbornly wrapped it around one of his ankles to keep it still and grit his teeth to resist the cramps. The pressure was beginning to make him feel slightly nauseous, and being so close to the pack leader’s comforting scent was not helping him hold it at all. He was so focused on preventing himself from going then and there, that he didn’t even notice that Kolivan had stopped walking and was trying to get his attention. 

“...’s wrong? Keith! Do you hear me?”

“‘Van, put me down for a moment.”

Kolivan did so, albeit reluctantly. As soon as Keith had to support his weight again, a cramp worse than all the previous ones made him hunch over, hugging his abdomen. His tail had unwound itself from its position and shot up behind him, spasming at the root.

“Just go, kit,” Kolivan coaxed gently, nudging Keith into a slight squat.

“No! That’s gross. Can’t I at least get the suit flap open and go in a corner or something?”

“Normally, I would say you can, but I highly doubt that you could hold it in long enough for me to help you dismantle the armour. Just go, the suit will take care of it.”

Keith had little choice but to obey, since the first bit had come out while Kolivan was still speaking. Widening his stance and squatting lower, he let things happen. As soon as the first piece was out, the back of his suit filled with some sort of cool foam. He suspected it was some kind of sanitizing agent. Whatever it was, it prevented his mess from smushing all over his fur, and that was all he cared about. After holding it for so long, his waste had become dry and hard, and pushing it out hurt a bit. Kolivan had offered him his arm for balance, and he clutched at it gratefully. 

When it was finally over, he sagged against Kolivan and panted as if he’d just run a marathon. The back of his suit was bulging a little, but he knew that it would return to its original shape soon. They stood there quietly for a while.

“Can we go back now? I want to wash myself.”

“Of course,” replied Kolivan, as he picked Keith up again and broke into a light run. They were still far away from their ship, and the others were waiting. He could slow down just before they came in sight and no one would have any reason to believe that they had stopped on the way. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fight me on this, but Scooby Doo will be rehashed again and again for the next century at the very least.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a bit gory, as it describes the process of Keith's transformation. You have been warned.

As soon as they got back from their field trip, Keith had been ambushed by Shiro, wanting to apologise and to spend some time with him. At any other time he would have been overjoyed to see his big brother figure back in his usual mindset, but just then he had been tired and he wanted to clean up before interacting with anyone, so he did what any overwhelmed kit would do, and hid behind an adult. Said adult just happened to be Antok, who responded by picking him up and carrying him off to their nest room. Shiro had then hounded the other pack members until they’d allowed him in too. Keith, clean but still tired, was having a hard time fighting his instincts, which told him to bury himself in the nest to hide from the intruder. Thankfully, Shiro had been sidetracked by Ulaz, who requested that all paladins (especially the human ones) be present in the infirmary the next morning for a lesson on basic galran anatomy and to help compile some medical data for future reference in observing Keith. This prompted a slew of worried questions from the black paladin, but the doctor deflected, saying that he will explain everything to everyone the next quintant. Keith had meanwhile managed to shake off some of his urge to camouflage himself among the bedding, and sat down next to Shiro. 

The paladin had been focused on badgering Ulaz for answers, so he didn’t notice the kit at first. Once he realized the Keith had come to him, he turned his full attention on the young hybrid. The adult galra turned away to give them some privacy, but stayed within a hearing range, to make sure that the kit was not becoming distressed. Their concern proved unnecessary though, as the two soon lapsed into reminiscenting their shared time at the garrison, Shiro relaying some anecdotes of his first year as an instructor (they included a lot of flailing and floundering as he learned to control a class of rowdy teens). Kolivan eventually shooed the human away from their room once Keith started yawning every few doboshes.

*****

Everyone had gathered in the med bay. The paladins were sitting in a semicircle, listening attentively to Ulaz, who was now explaining the full consequences of Keith’s transformation. The kit was observing them from his perch on one of the examination tables. He had heard all of it before, so he wasn’t really interested in the lecture. Instead, he focused on their faces, and tried to decipher how their opinion of him would change with the new information. Pidge was the easiest. She had already known the gist of it and was now taking notes on the details, likely to come up with some more useful gadgets. Allura, who had decided to attend too, was simply nodding along and frowning thoughtfully, as if Ulaz had just been confirming her suspicions. Shiro was completely stoic, his face not betraying anything positive or negative. Keith found this rather jarring, especially after the easy conversation they had had the previous evening. It was almost as if a switch had been flipped, turning the Shiro he knew into the workaholic standoffish automaton he had been through most of their stay. Coran, who was present to once again help with the medical equipment, was twirling his moustache and sending Keith sympathetic looks. He felt fairly sure that the ginger altean would not think badly of him, but he might have to dodge a bone-crushing hug or two in the near future. Most surprising, however, were Lance and Hunk, who were both deathly serious and fully focused. Since the two of them were usually the most easygoing of the team, he was half expecting them to attempt to lighten the mood by catching onto the more embarrassing bits of the information and either gently teasing him or mocking him. They did neither, though, and stayed silent even when Ulaz finished speaking and allowed them to ask questions.

Allura had been the first to interrogate the medic, questioning him adroitly. She admitted to having had some formal education on the biology of allied alien species, which had included galra back then, but most of her questions stemmed from her personal experience with altean hybrids. She had known quite a few of those, since high-ranking ambassadors and their (usually mixed) families would stay at the castle for longer periods, and she would often overhear the mothers debating the medical conditions afflicting their hybrid offspring. She had been greatly reassured to hear that galran hybrids were much more stable and that nearly all of Keith’s problems stemmed from previous improper treatment. They just needed some data on humans to make sure that they do not make the same mistake and accidentally starve or otherwise neglect his human half. It was at this point that Keith was glomped by a crying Hunk without any warning.

“I’m so, so, so, so, sorry! I didn’t mean to make you feel bad, baby galra Keith. I swear I wasn’t avoiding you because I hate you, or because I’m scared of you. I mean, I was a bit scared of you in the beginning, but that was before the whole weblum thing. You can’t be scared of someone after being almost digested by a giant worm together. I might have also been a bit scared of your pack, but they are big and strong and, like, super protective of you. It was like seeing a mama bear with a tiny cub, you kind of want to pet it, but you don’t want to get mauled. And...”

“Hunk, calm down man, you are rambling,” Lance sat down next to them, patting the yellow paladin on the back, “You might want to let go of him before you squish him.”

“Sorry!” Hunk squeaked, throwing a worried glance at Ulaz, still half expecting to be mauled.

“Yeah, I’m really sorry for acting weird around you too, but every time I looked at you, I would get a reminder of how you looked while you were changing,” admitted Lance apologetically with a grimace.

“Please don’t talk about it. I still have nightmares from that,” Hunk shuddered.

“Was it really that bad?” asked Keith.

“You don’t remember it at all?” Allura looked at him in surprise, “you seemed to be awake for some of it.”

“I remember getting out of the lion and then nothing until the Marmoran infirmary. Can you tell me what happened?”

“Can we not? I get queasy just thinking about it. I don’t think my stomach could handle a full retelling.”

“A detailed account of the transformation would be quite helpful in determining Keith’s medical condition. I would appreciate if you could recount the events of that day with as much detail as possible,” chimed in Ulaz, pulling out his pad to record the story, “That includes the event causing the change in the first place as well.”

“I guess I’ll start then,” said Keith and everyone else nodded.

“Wait, let me get a bucket first,” Hunk scurried off.

*****

Keith was running through a base slashing at sentries and random consoles alike. He was supposed to be a distraction, drawing the sentries and soldiers away from the cells, where rebels were evacuating prisoners, so he tried to cause as much ruckus as possible. He entered a room randomly and found it full of fragile glass lab equipment. Smirking, he pushed the glassware off the workbenches. Might as well thwart some twisted experiment in the process. The ring of shattering glass was so loud that he didn’t hear the running steps behind him before it was too late. A druid had teleported in front of him and slashed at him with a set of glowing claws. He dodged most of the physical strikes, but knocked over some chemicals while parrying the final one. An explosion had propelled him through a large window in one of the walls. He braced himself for a hard landing, but the impact didn’t come. Instead, his whole field of vision was filled with iridescent light.

The liquid he was floating in was strange. It didn’t seem to have any temperature or hydrostatic pressure, and it had no trouble getting inside his airtight helmet. Surprisingly, he could breathe it as easily as pure air. If he hadn’t glimpsed the vat on his way down, he would have thought that he got thrown out of the airlock again and hit his head in the process.

He tried moving, and found that it was possible to swim in the strange medium. Picking a direction at random, he moved forward until he hit a wall and then followed it until he breached the surface of the glowing fluid. From the outside, the vat seemed much smaller and the liquid was no longer the same colour. Now it seemed to be somewhere between magenta and lime green. He scrambled out, suddenly extremely dizzy, when he heard Shiro’s voice through the comm in his helmet. He had called for a retreat a while ago and Keith was the only one who hadn’t answered. Responding quickly, Keith confirmed that he was on his way to the rendezvous point. He tried to run, but was constantly out of breath and stumbling. The whole world was swaying and bright swirls danced across his vision. He finally made it to the place where they had hidden their speeders and they all shot off to their respective lions. Halfway there, his whole skin started itching. By the time the speeder had been pulled back into the lion, the itching had intensified into stinging, as if every square centimetre of his skin had been pierced by a thousand tiny needles. He pulled himself into the cockpit and laid his hands on the controls. Black had woken up immediately and lifted off smoothly, without any prompting. The lion had apparently decided that he was in no condition to pilot.

He tried to take inventory of his symptoms, thinking that he had been poisoned, when agony struck across his face. His ears felt as if someone had decided to remove them by letting them dissolve in boiling acid. He ripped off his helmet and clawed at them, trying to do something, anything, to stop the torture. He missed the shift in gravity that signalled their entry into the hangar. He only noticed that they were no longer moving when his seat moved backwards and the lights in the cockpit turned off.

Lurching upright, he wobbled out of the warship, leaving the discarded helmet on the ground. The last thing he saw before all went dark were shocked and terrified faces of the other paladins.

*****

“That’s all I can tell you, someone else needs to pick up the story now,” said Keith. 

Allura walked over to him and hugged him during the last part of the story, but she didn’t volunteer to speak. Hunk was fidgeting nervously.

“I can’t say much, I wasn’t there for most of it,” apologised Pidge.

“I guess I can tell the rest of it,” sighed Lance.

*****

To Lance, the events following the black lion’s arrival seemed to happen in slow motion and too fast to register simultaneously. Keith stumbled out of the lion’s mouth sans helmet, with a face covered in purple splotches and rivulets of blood running down his shoulders, and collapsed before he could take three steps into the hangar. They all ran to his side, him and Pidge reaching him first. They turned him to lay on his side in a recovery position and Allura checked him over. Then Lance realised with a shock that the purple blots were a) spreading quickly and b) fur and not bruises as he had assumed.

“His whole body has been supercharged with quintessence! I need to drain it out of him to stabilize him.” 

Allura had taken control of the situation and was commanding the others.

“Pidge, go contact the Blade of Marmora. Ask them if they know anything about the effects of quintessence overdose. Hunk, get Coran and prepare the medbay. Lance, you’re with me.”

The two ran off to do their assigned tasks and Lance knelt helplessly next to Keith, while Allura leaned over him, glowing hands on his chest. He had no idea what to do. All he could think of was running his hand through Keith’s hair and muttering reassurances. The blue and black lions roared deafeningly.

“Quiznak, quiznak, quiznak! I’ve channelled off the quintessence! Why is he still changing!”

By then, most of Keith’s visible skin was covered in purple fur. His eyes slid open and the sclera was tinged yellow. Some of it was also oozing out, like some grotesque gelatinous tears. His ears, still bleeding, were developing tips. It was altogether too obvious what he was becoming. A galra. Not that he hadn’t been half galran already, he was just looking it too, now.

Allura was swearing again, trying to do something to reverse the change, to turn him back into a human. But something fiery and angry in his mind had protested, urging him to pull the princess away from their fallen teammate. Red was ordering him to stop her. The Black lion roared again, as if in agreement. 

Before he could make up his mind, Allura had stood up, a look of disgust on her face. 

“I’m going to help Pidge.”

And she stalked away, fuming

Thankfully, Hunk and Coran had rushed into the room only a moment later with a stretcher. The three had carefully loaded Keith on top of it and rushed to the med bay. They had to stop twice on the way, because Keith had started to writhe and seize. Once they finally arrived, they quickly divested him of the armour and underthings, but Coran did not dare put him in the pod. Whatever was happening was not an injury or an illness and he could not be sure that the machine would not kill Keith. He scrambled around for a scanner, hoping to find out what was happening and treat the symptoms at least.

Meanwhile, Keith had been visibly getting worse. In addition to his bleeding ears, blood was now pouring from his mouth and nose as well. As he clawed at the cot beneath him, the nails on his fingers and toes started coming off, revealing the fleshy beds. Then Keith desperately scrambled to the edge of the cot, leaned over and heaved. He vomited up more blood and pieces of something firmer. A sputtering sound came from behind him and the same substance covered the bed. He seemed to be quite literally spewing his bloody guts out from both ends. Hunk had run from the room, completely green in the face.

After that episode Keith collapsed, completely limp. The horrors were not over yet, however. His muscles started twitching and contracting sporadically, making his whole skin seem stretched over some vigorously boiling liquid. The skin on his lower back tautened and ripped open and the flesh beneath bubbled outward. 

“Fuck, he’s not breathing!” 

Lance had been monitoring Keith’s head, making sure he wouldn’t hit it during his uncoordinated thrashing. He could hear him taking gurgling laboured breaths before the sounds stopped altogether.

“Hold him still, I’ve got this” Coran ran over to them with an intimidatingly large syringe which he stabbed into Keith’s side, between his ribs, before depressing the plunger. The patient lurched before being seized by a harsh coughing fit, frothing liquid flying out of his mouth. Once the coughing died down, he seemed to breathe easier.

“Incredible,” Coran muttered as he studied the readout from the medical scanners. “I’ve never seen anything like this. Nearly all of his cells are dying and being rebuilt and revived at an amazing speed. Even his blood has already replenished.”

“Is he going to be OK?” Shiro was standing at the door, looking in. 

“I think so. Whatever is happening doesn’t seem to be killing him directly. It is simply putting an enormous strain on his body. He will be quite weak for some time, but I believe that the worst part is over.”

“Good, I’ll go inform Kolivan. He is on his way here and he’ll take Keith to the Marmora headquarters. Their doctors will be more qualified to take care of him in his current shape.”

“I’m not sure if he should be moved so...” Coran began protesting, but Shiro was already gone. 

Hunk had come back, looking slightly queasy. They moved Keith onto a clean cot and began mopping up the blood, one of them always keeping an eye on his vitals while tidying up the infirmary. The fleshy stump on his lower back was now recognizable as a tail and the beginnings of claws appeared at his fingertips.

*****

“And you just stayed unconscious until Kolivan came and took you away,” Lance finished his side of the story.

Hunk was hugging the bucket, his face tinged an alarming shade of green, but valiantly holding onto his breakfast. Pidge and Allura were both rather shocked. Neither of them had heard the full details before. Shiro had gone slightly pale but otherwise, he stayed stoic.

“I’ll need those readouts, if you still have them,” Ulaz turned to Coran.

“Of course, I’ll have them sent to your pad, together with the other data.”

“Speaking of other data,” Shiro interrupted, “you said you needed some from us?”

“Yes. If you consent to it, I’d like to scan every one of you and create complete models of your biology. While Keith’s skeleton, muscles, skin and nervous system have become near purely galran in nature, many of his internal organs are still closer to those of humans. I need to know how those function when healthy, so that I may detect any anomalies in the future. Unfortunately, our sample size is not large, but hopefully, the data I get will be enough to keep Keith healthy before you have the chance to contact your home planet. It is a great pity that we only have one female here. Pidge I truly hope that you will allow us to scan you.”

“Why?” Pidge paused in surprise “I mean, I’m down for the scan, but Keith is a guy. Wouldn’t my data be less inaccurate than, say, Lance’s?”

“Most galra are hermaphrodites,” Allura explained, “are you expecting Keith to…?”

“We generally use the term neuter for that, but yes, Keith is likely to develop a full set of female genitalia sometime in the future. Normally, this would happen when he’s well over 100 deca-phoebs old, but considering his mixed heritage, it might be sooner.”

“Alright, so Keith could get pregnant in the future,” said Lance in a slightly dazed manner, “he'll still be a kid long after we die...”

“Are you alright?” asked Allura.

“Yeah, it’s just a lot of stuff all at once. It’ll take a while for all of it to really sink in.”

“Good. We will call you here, one by one. Please go wait in the lounge.”

*****

The only one who did not agree to the scan was Shiro, who argued that between his degenerative disease and whatever the galra had done to him during his second captivity, his data would likely just introduce more error. Ulaz grudgingly agreed, not happy to see his sample size shrink further, but seeing the merit of the argument.

The younger human paladins were lazing around the lounge, reading, playing video games or trying to badger the present blades (Thace and Antok) for traditional galran recipes. Keith was napping, spread over one of the couches. They were all enjoying a short reprieve from their hectic daily duties and training while Ulaz and Coran were compiling data and Kolivan, Allura and Shiro were in a conference. The peace would not last, however.

The five remaining residents walked into the room, all wearing rather gloomy expressions. Kolivan’s face was especially thunderous as strode over to Keith and gently shook him awake. 

“Kit, do you think that the black lion would let you pilot it?”

“Probably...” Keith yawned, “I can still feel her presence in my mind. And it’s not just the sort of weird echoey connection like I have with Red now.”

Kolivan’s scowl deepened. 

“Are you absolutely sure?”

“Well, we could test it, but why do you ask?” Keith looked around the room, noting that most occupants seemed just as confused as he currently felt. Shiro stepped forward to explain.

“A group of anti-galra extremists has started a civil war within one of the coalition systems. They are holding all three royal families hostage, demanding that the leaders of the blade and the black paladin be handed over to them. The rebels are already there, keeping the situation from escalating, but they need Voltron’s help. Unfortunately, the terrorists are aware of that and are threatening to start bombing cities if the black paladin does not arrive on the planet within the next six quintants together with the galra.”

“What’s the plan?” asked Hunk, looking from around the room, “Y-you do have a plan, right?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What Keith doesn't know is that Ulaz had already done the psychological part of the examination while they were playing around in the abandoned shipyard.


	6. Chapter 6

The plan relied on the fact that few knew Keith could pilot the black lion as well. He hid in his room while the group of crazed zealots came to take his pack away. No one had been happy with that part of the plan, the pack not wanting to leave their kit alone in the castle, but it was their best shot at resolving the situation with minimal casualties on all sides. 

Coran had implanted several trackers onto each of the blades. Once they were taken to the cult’s holy ground/main base, several Marmoran teams, who were already gathering in the system, would infiltrate and sabotage the remote controls for the detonators placed in all major cities. Voltron would then move against the main fleet while the hostages were rescued.

The group’s religious fanaticism proved itself quite useful since the strict rituals that had to be observed before an execution could take place gave them ample time to prepare and act.

*****

Keith was hiding. Or at the very least, he was avoiding the paladins, since he couldn’t really hide within the castle. The sensors would always pick up his presence, so he did the next best thing and retreated somewhere the others physically could not reach him. At least for the moment.

Keith was lying on the hard floor of the black lion’s hold, alternating between chewing on the tip of his tail and worrying at his forearms. The large cat had been elated to have him back, mourning the knowledge that it was temporary. Keith had no idea how they knew, but he had long suspected that the lions were constantly snooping in their paladin’s minds. Black did sulk a little at the accusation but did not deny it. The lion had happily let him in and agreed to keep the others out, but Keith did not doubt that the promise would be rescinded the moment black’s worry became stronger than the excitement at having him back. The lions had their own minds and were fully capable of ignoring their paladins’ orders and wishes when it suited them.

He contemplated his current solitude and spat another clump of torn out fur on the ground.

*****

The other residents of the castle were meanwhile busy poring over a document on kit care that Ulaz had hastily compiled. The galra did not have much time to prepare before they had to leave and there were just too many things that the humans and the alteans did not know about caring for Keith. In the end, he had resorted to putting together his own notes on Keith’s behaviour and some general how-to guides downloaded from the Marmoran medical database and entrusted them to Pidge. She had the most knowledge of the kit and could hopefully make sense of the disorganised instructions.

“Why does he have a toilet schedule!?” Lance asked incredulously, reading over her shoulder.

“Because,” came an irritated retort as the girl swatted him away from her field of vision, “galra can apparently die of a full bladder.”

“I thought that was just a legend. Aren’t people supposed to piss themselves long before that happens?”

“Humans? Yes. Galra? Not so much. And Keith takes after galra in this regard. Remember when he was laid up for a whole day? That was because his bladder had almost ruptured from holding it too long on a mission and he almost died of blood poisoning.”

“Quiznak.”

“Hmm. Hey Hunk, I found the recipes. Sending them over to you now.”

The Samoan thanked her cheerfully, checking the instructions and ingredients. Finally, there was something within his field of expertise. His eyes widened as he noticed a repeating item on the proposed meal plan.

“Oh my god, Keith needs to drink milk formula. Do we need to find a baby bottle for him?”

“He drinks it from a normal cup. Seriously guys, don’t tease him over the baby stuff, he is quite literally stubborn enough to kill himself over it.”

“Speaking of stubborn, he hadn’t come out since the blades had left. Shouldn’t someone go find him?”

“That’s a good idea. Thank you for volunteering, Lance.”

“What? No! Mullet hates me. He wouldn’t come out if I came looking for him, he would hide even better!”

“Lance, I’m pretty sure Keith hates you about as much as you hate him, which is to say, not at all.”

“But why me?”

“Because the rest of us have other things to do. Aren’t you always bragging about your child-handling skills whenever you flirt with someone? Well, right now, Keith is a child and you are going to handle him over to the kitchen. He hasn’t eaten anything since breakfast. And don’t forget to stop by a bathroom on the way.”

*****

Lance stood within the black lion’s hangar. The war machine loomed over him, silent, dark, unresponsive.

“Come on! Keith, at least let me know if you can hear me!”

No answer.

“Black, please? I just need to take Keith to the kitchens for dinner. He can come back afterwards.”

Silence.

‘Red, blue, please back me up a bit? At least ask the black lion to let me check on him.’

As a last resort, Lance had sent a message through his bonds and settled down to wait. Whether or not the arm and leg could get through to the head, he was not leaving without Keith. A few tense moments passed, and the black lion began lowering itself, placing its head in front of him and opening its massive jaws. Lance could feel that the machine did not want him there, but gathered his courage and climbed in anyway, muttering under his breath.

“I swear, mullet, if your lion eats me for coming to get you, I will come back to haunt you. And Pidge. She couldn’t just wait for you to get out. Noo. She had to sacrifice a teammate to an overprotective cat...”

The cockpit was the first place he visited, expecting Keith to be sitting in the pilot’s chair. Finding it empty, he descended deeper into the ship’s body, looking around in the near absolute darkness. He noticed two glowing yellowish circles following his movements and he did not shriek like a girl, no matter what Keith may say.

“Black, please turn on the lights before Lance starts crying.”

“Very funny. It’s not my fault that you scared me, lurking creepily in a corner… What the fuck did you do to your arms?”

Keith glanced at his forearms, suddenly realising that they hurt. Once the lights came on, the bald spots where he had torn out his fur became clearly visible. Many of them were raw and red and some were even bleeding sluggishly. His tail lashed against the wall behind him and he hissed in pain as the abused tip came in contact with it.

“Right. Explain later, go to the med bay now,” and Lance grabbed his less mangled hand and dragged him off.

*****

“So, according to the blade medical staff, the biting is an uncommon instinctual reaction to stress, most likely due to separation anxiety,” announced Allura as she reentered the med bay.

“See,” Keith huffed in annoyance while Coran applied disinfection to his open sores, “I wasn’t doing it on purpose.”

“Ok, ok, I’m sorry for not believing you,” Lance raised his hands in surrender, “But that’s kinda worse, isn’t it? How are we supposed to make you stop biting yourself if you don’t even realize that you are doing it?”

“The medics recommend we make him wear his Marmoran armour. He will not be able to penetrate the armour with his teeth.”

Keith had been wearing a robe and some loose pants that day, due to spending most of it being poked and prodded by Ulaz as the doctor compared his body to those of the other humans on board. He left the med bay to change into the blade suit before eating dinner and Lance came along to keep him company. Keith went to the bathroom before putting the armour on, knowing that it would be difficult to take off by himself and dreading having to ask the paladins for assistance. The others tried to involve him in a conversation while eating, but he was not in the mood to talk or socialize. As soon as he finished his meal, he excused himself and went to the nest. Coran had escorted him this time but stayed outside the nest room.

Once the door closed behind him, Keith flopped onto the nest and allowed the feeling of abandonment to drown out his thinking. His pack was not there. They had left him. They might never come back. His whole body shivered and he buried his face in a pillow to muffle his heartbroken whimpers, just in case someone was listening in on him. His bladder released, his body attempting to lessen his stress by mingling his scent with that of his pack, but the filter on the suit contained the urine, not letting it spill into the nest. Keith was thankful for that at least. He would not have been able to bring himself to clean up and would have spent the night laying on a wet spot.

Without the presence of the rest of his pack, the room was oppressively vast. Keith was too tired to stay awake, but he couldn’t fall deeply asleep either. He would fall into a light doze, but then he would see something lurking in the far-away corners and his body would jerk violently, startling him awake and pumping adrenaline into his veins. It would take a while before his heart would slow enough for him to attempt sleeping again.

He lost the count of how many times the cycle had repeated and before he knew it, the lights in the room had begun to brighten, signifying the beginning of a new day cycle on the castle ship. Keith had given up un trying to sleep at that point and sneaked off to the training deck. 

*****

He was unceremoniously kicked out of the training deck a few vargas later by a very disgruntled Pidge. The tiny paladin muttered under her breath about installing childproof locks on doors as she dragged him towards the kitchens for breakfast. It was slightly humiliating for him to be led by a hand, but the pressure of her fingers around his wrist was oddly calming so he did not struggle to get free.

After eating, Keith opted to lay on one of the couches in the common lounge and nap. He was sleepy, and the constant presence of at least one person in the same room was making him feel safer than the empty nest had. The paladins had noticed his proclivity for doing nothing but assumed that he was still a bit depressed about being away from his pack and left him to drowse in peace. They would wake him for meals and toilet breaks, but thankfully, they allowed him some privacy and did not follow him into the bathroom. Keith was beyond caring now, and simply went in his suit instead of wrangling off the armour around the flap. He didn’t want the paladins to discover that though. It would be embarrassing to explain.

There was no news of the terrorists by the time the ship began entering the night cycle and Keith had once again skulked off to the nest. His escort, Allura, had left him in the nest alone. He was having an even harder time than the previous day. He couldn’t even drift off now. Frustrated, he pushed at the nest until all the sheets and pillows formed one great mound and crawled under it. The weight of the fabric pressing down on him almost let him believe that his pack was laying all around him, but before long it got hard to breathe, and he had to come out. Keith headed for the training deck much earlier that night but slunk away to the nest before the others would wake. He didn’t want Pidge actually fulfilling her promise to lock him out.

Over the next three quintants, Keith followed a pattern of trying his best to sleep during the day and training at night. The paladins were getting suspicious of his increasing fatigue and clumsiness, but let it go after he told them he had trouble sleeping. They still hadn’t heard any news from the blades stationed in the system, but Matt had assured them that it was no cause for alarm just yet. That civilization had only discovered warp travel recently and their ships were still relatively slow. The vessel holding Keith’s pack and Shiro was still on its way there, due to arrive in two or three more quintants.

Keith was not happy to hear that and not just because he missed his pack. His physical condition was deteriorating, and he had a sneaking suspicion that it was not just due to the sleep deprivation. He would occasionally lose strength in his fingers and the sudden jerks that kept him up the first night started occurring during his daytime naps as well. So far, it happened infrequently. We knew that wouldn’t last. He was just hoping that whatever it was would not impede him from piloting Voltron. Once his pack was back, Ulaz would check him over and all would be fine. He needed to hold out until then.

On the fifth quintant since the pack had been taken, Keith’s spasms had grown common enough for the paladins to become concerned about him. He even stumbled over his own feet on the way to eat lunch and Lance had looked positively terrified when he steadied him. They had taken him to the med bay afterwards, but could not discover what was wrong with him. The scans showed some sort of anomaly, but it was one affecting hs galran traits. They sent it to the Marmoran headquarters, with the request to have a galran doctor analyse it.

When Keith retired to the nest that evening, his escorts, Hunk and Pidge, (multiple since the tripping incident that morning) did not leave him in the nest room alone, but insisted on staying until he fell asleep. Pidge eyed the disorganized ruins of the nest suspiciously. She would ask the blade operatives about it later. Surprisingly, with the presence of the other two, Keith was actually able to fall asleep.

He didn’t stay asleep for long, though. He came to awareness abruptly in the quiet darkness of the room and could feel that same restlessness that had been keeping him from sleep in the nest. Resigned, he grabbed his blade and headed toward the training rooms, not noticing the tiny creature that had followed him.

*****

Plachu was no longer just an ordinary pest. After sleeping in the same pod with the princess for aeons, the mice had developed a link with the altean and the quintessence they had absorbed from her had changed them. She had confided in them about her worry for the purple one. Plachu could agree that something was wrong. The kit smelled off. Sickly. The mice had agreed to follow the young one closely, but he had not done anything strange thus far. Has was acting like he used to before he was purple, sleeping uneasily and training all the time. Plachu would follow nonetheless. 

The mouse’s vigil was rewarded as soon as the first simulation started, though not in a pleasant way. The kit had been hit hard by the lifeless creature he fought. Making a quick decision, Plachu scurried off to wake the princess.

*****

Keith was losing. Badly. Usually, he would complete this level fairly easily, but now the bots were mopping the floor with him. He parried an attack, desperately trying to think of some way to turn the tides. Then the muscles in his hands spasmed and he dropped the weapon. The gladiator had taken the chance to kick him hard enough to send him flying. Just before he collided with a wall, he thought he could hear an angry voice yelling: “End training sequence!”

*****

Keith returned to consciousness gradually. He was tired, but felt more rested than he had in a long while. He could smell his pack around him and feel their warmth as they lay together in a nest. Granted, it wasn’t his main pack, his bonded parent was not part of it, but they were his pack. It was enough. There was one issue though. His scent wasn’t properly mixed with this pack’s. He would need to rectify that.

By the time the more human part of his mind had fought its way to the helm, he had already emptied most of his bladder into the bedding. He didn’t even try to stop. The damage was already done and his instincts wouldn’t have let him anyway. He bit his lips to stifle a whimper, but wasn’t entirely successful and a warm mass next to him began to move.

“Wa’s goin on?” slurred Lance’s voice and a hand began feeling around him for the source of the unexpected wetness.

Keith bolted.

*****

Lance contemplated what Pidge had found in Ulaz’s notes after Keith’s abrupt escape. Sure, waking up in a puddle of piss was not pleasant, but they had been more concerned than mad, considering that they had accidentally touch starved him half to death. He was now lugging a mountain of towels and a part of his beauty product hoard towards the shower where Keith had locked himself. Pidge had already hacked the door. His objective now was to reassure and pamper Keith until the half-galran felt confident enough to face the world again.

This time he had actually volunteered for the task. Out of all the paladins that got wet in Keith’s accident, he was the only one who truly did not mind. He wouldn’t have to pretend to be unbothered. After all, there were always toddlers around la casa McClain. Toddlers who would sneak into people’s beds in the middle of the night. If he had a dollar for every time he had woken up with someone else’s piss adorning his pyjamas, he would have had enough to put all his nephews and nieces through college. He entered the common showers.

His plan had been to stride in nonchalantly and maybe even make some small talk to put Keith at ease before coaxing him to face the world again, but that all went out the airlock the moment he actually saw him.

Keith was sitting under the spray of water, wet fur clinging to his body and making him look even smaller than usual. His eyes suddenly seemed huge in his face as he stared at Lance until their gazes met. Then Keith hid his face behind his knees, curling up even tighter. He looked like a drowned kitten. Quite literally. Lance was sure that if his pictures had been used in a PSA about abandoned animals, all shelters would be empty within a week. In a superhuman exertion of effort, Lance had somehow managed not to squeal.

“It’s kinda cute, you know,” Lance rambled as he got into a shower next to Keith, "A bit gross as well, but hey, considering that you are pretty much a very mature two-year-old, you deserve some slack. Hell, I never thought that I would think of anything galra related as cute, but this is basically the equivalent of a happy puppy pee. Aliens that grow up to be giant murder-machines have no right to be this adorable.”

“S’not adorable.”

“It totally is. ”

The purple lump uncurled slightly and Lance could see one yellow eye watching him with a mix of curiosity and apprehension. He ignored it and proceeded to calmly lather his body with soap. He doubted that Keith would believe him if he just straight up said that he wasn’t mad. He would have to prove it through his actions.

“Hey, Keithy-cat, what sort of shampoo smell is your favourite?”

“Huh?”

“Well, you got wet too, right? And water alone is probably not going to be enough to clean up your fur. Coran went through my stuff and helped me pick galra friendly things, so go pick your favourite. I’ll help you get it on all of your fur.”

“I don’t need help washing myself,” Keith retorted defensively, but he did approach the row of bottles and sniff each one curiously.

“It’s less about you needing help and more about you needing physical contact. We kind of screwed up, making you wear that armour and letting you sleep alone. Just let me do it. It’ll feel nice.”

Lance’s insistence managed to wear down Keith’s resistance, and soon, the Cuban was massaging a subtly fragrant soap into the fur on his back. Lance went slow, making sure to avoid getting the lotion into the still red sores on Keith’s forearms and tail. The half-galra eventually started purring and leaning into his touch, so he assumed that operation get Keith relaxed enough to face the world again was at least a partial success. The suds were rinsed and the water turned off, and Lance was left to ponder a new problem.

“Man, I don’t think we have enough towels.”

Keith had started shivering slightly once they exited the warm spray and was dripping from every part of his body.

“How do you usually dry yourself?”

“I don’t. Galra with fur usually just use dry shampoo and brushes. Or a sponge bath. Wet fur is horrible,” he complained and shook his whole body like a dog before curling up and shivering miserably. 

“Right,” Lance threw the largest towel over Keith’s head, “Wait here. I’ll ask Allura to lend me an altean hairdryer.”

*****

By the time Keith’s fur was dry enough to pass Lance’s inspection (“Dude, if you catch a cold on top of all this, your pack will never let us babysit you again.”), the other paladins have remade the nest in the lounge. Pidge managed to recreate the scent consolidating detergent that the galra used with the hacked replicator, and all of the wet sheets and clothes had been washed in it. Now that Keith was calm and conscious, he could see how the nest looked and began instinctively rearranging it, purring loudly and nuzzling the fabrics before weaving them into the structure. Only once it was done to his satisfaction would he allow the others to lay down with him. The paladins took advantage of his momentary inattention to take pictures. His fur had doubled in volume after the washing and was dishevelled from the hairdryer; it made him look much closer to his galran age. Lance was humming a tune that sounded suspiciously like the warm kitty song.

When the morning came, he expected everyone to leave and go about their daily tasks, but instead, Hunk had brought a basket of snacks and they ate breakfast picnic style. Pidge explained that according to the blade medics, he would need an almost constant physical contact to get better since they weren’t galra. Their touch would be less effective but it would help him improve eventually. They ended up watching old altean movies together, Keith sandwiched between Hunk and Lance in the nest propped up against the couches, Pidge behind them on the couch, letting Keith lean against her legs. She had wanted to sit next to Keith too, but Lance argued that they needed to maximize the skin contact and the boys were wearing nothing but their underwear. Pidge was wearing one of Hunk’s shirts as a nightgown and only her legs were bare. She had come to appreciate the position though, as it gave her prime access to Keith’s ears. Much to everyone’s surprise, Keith did not protest when she started scratching behind them. Keith had again spent most of the day napping (Hunk teared up at the excess cuteness when Keith had decided to use him as a pillow), but this time when they all got up for dinner, he felt distinctly better than in the morning.

*****

“Paladins, to your lions! Now!”

Coran’s voice on the castle ship’s intercom startled everyone awake in the middle of the night and they ran to put on their armour.

“What’s the situation?” Keith asked through a comm as he leapt into the pilot’s seat, black lion coming to life with a purr.

“The remote controls for the explosives are out of commission and the hostages are on their way to a secure location. We need to take out the main fleet before they patch in the back-up triggers,” Allura updated the team as the lions left the hangars and got into a formation.

“Alright, everyone ready?”

The team all nod.

“Form Voltron!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The End


	7. Voltron musings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This isn't really a chapter, but rather a collection of short essays I had written alongside the trilogy. Since people seemed to like my worldbuilding, I thought that I might as well post those too.

On translators

So, here’s my theory on how translators work within the Voltron universe. In the show, we can observe several different species of aliens communicating without seemingly any misunderstandings. While it is quite probable that within the galra controlled sectors, a single language is used by all intelligent peoples, the alteans and the humans should not be able to speak or understand it. Not to mention that certain words, such as the time measurement units and quiznak do not translate into any English word equivalent. It’s fairly obvious by the lack of misunderstandings that the translators do not simply apply the literal dictionary word definitions like, say, Google translate would. So how can the technology work so well? My answer to that and many other things about the VU is the quintessence. 

It is pretty much confirmed that within the VU, souls are real, yet, they do not appear to consist of pure quintessence. The way the quintessence is defined makes it seem like a type of energy created as a byproduct of life while simultaneously necessary to create and maintain life. At the same time, it seems that quintessence, while necessary for all forms of life to exist, is strongly manifested only within intelligent creatures. If it were not, then the empire could have simply terraformed planets to support animal and plant life and harvested them with Komar, instead of going after planets with civilizations. Why do the non-intelligent lifeforms not produce quintessence? My theory is that it’s because quintessence is an energy that acts as an interface between the consciousness/soul and the physical body. The energy has existed since the universe began and it was pivotal in creating life, but non-intelligent life forms simply absorb it, stockpile it through life and then release it upon death. With them, the total amount of quintessence in the system remains the same. Intelligent life forms, on the other hand, actually generate new quintessence through any act of abstract thinking. 

And one of the most common forms of abstract thinking is communication. The first proper translators were actually a byproduct product of a research agreement between Altea and Daibazaal. A team of collaborating altean alchemists and galran druids had shown, that when measuring the brain’s quintessence, the response to words with equal concepts would elicit the same unique emission. One of the researchers created an A.I. which automatically matched the said word to the quintessence emission and thus the first translator was born. Seeing how precise it was, a huge project was launched to create a database of all languages. Eventually, another researcher noticed that there is a connection between the emission type and the concept attached. Using the already created database as a background, a new A.I. was created, one that could translate any unknown language into a language stored within it and even add the new vocabulary while translating. Of course, the small personal translators could not do that much, but a large scale translator such as the one within the castle could. The first little earpiece translators came with a quintessence reader and were loaded with a database of emissions and a single language. They would translate one way and rely on the other party possessing the same equipment. By the time the show’s events were happening, the technology had advanced to the point where a translator could be set to send a quintessence emission directly into the brain instead of producing audible words. This overrides the signals sent by the auditory nerve to the auditory cortex. That way, it became unnecessary to actually compile a database of words for each new language.

This is why even modern slang can be parsed through. Each word is decomposed to the mental concept behind it and then reconstructed as a term with the equal actual value and not the literal meaning. On the other hand, some species might have concepts which are missing or are misaligned with the other species’ languages. If there is no recognized match of the concept behind the word in the recipient’s brain, the signals from auditory nerves get processed instead. Quiznak, for example, is an expletive similar to fuck, in the way that it denotes a rather aggressive and vulgar way of sex. However, it is also untranslatable because it involves the use of shapeshifting unique to the alteans. Likewise, time measurement units do not translate, because they are not equal. One tick is a different amount of time than one second. An example of a partial misalignment occurs in the first chapter of the first arc of my work. When Keith said the word incontinence he means urinary incontinence as the word is most commonly understood in modern English. However, the meaning that Ulaz receives runs more along the line of the lack of self-control and moderation in one’s desires, which would be a secondary and somewhat archaic meaning to most English speakers.

On nonverbal communication 

The galran verbal language is just as evolved and complex as any other. Alongside it though, the galra posses a variety of nonverbal signals which can, in certain circumstances, supplant the need for verbal expression. The prominence of use of these expressions varies depending on the situation, but aside from the gestures meant to show aggression (growling, snarling, bared teeth) they are rarely used at non-conspecifics. In fact, the highest frequency has been observed to occur between a kit and their pack. Here is a short list of some common galran non-verbal signals and their meanings.

Chirping - Sounds produced exclusively by kits due to a special pharyngeal membrane which disappears during maturation. The sounds imitate birdcalls and are unique to each kit. They are important for recognition since litter-mates will share the same scent during the first few deca-phoebs of life. Older kits use them as a form of greeting for their packmates.

Mewling/meowing - These sounds are made by a kit when they need care from their packmates. Seriously injured or traumatized adults may revert to these sounds too. There are three recognizable variations of these sounds which every galra knows by instinct: hunger and thirst, need to void, and need for physical contact.

Whining - Sounds made in high distress, be it fear, pain or loneliness. They also serve as a galran equivalent to crying.

Purring - There are two diametrically opposed reasons why a galra might purr. One is a feeling of absolute safety and comfort, the other, injury. Broken bones and torn tissues, in particular, seem to elicit this response.

Rumbling - Not to be confused with purring. This sound is unique to adults. Kits and adolescents cannot produce it. It is a sound meant to reassure packmates and kits. In interaction with kits, it is often used as an answer to their calls, meant as an acknowledgement and a confirmation that their needs will be taken care of immediately.

Growling - Often mistaken for aggression, this sound, when not paired with other signs, means general disagreement and displeasure.

Huffing - The galran version of exasperated eye-roll.

The body language is unfortunately not possible to categorize due to the sheer number of galran morphs. Factors such as the mobility and shape of ears, the presence or absence of a tail, the alignment of joints in the limbs, all these and many others can make two seemingly equal stances carry an entirely different meaning. The galra seem to understand these instinctually, likely using senses other than sight and hearing to perceive intentions. Mainly the sense of smell. The galran olfactory epithelium is densely innervated and invaginated into lobes to further increase its surface. It is likely that many difficulties in negotiating with galra arose from the fact that one of the parties was lacking an entire portion of the communication. The scent is also paramount in courting, mating, and general pack cohesion.

Of special interest are the signals sent by the galra in a sexual context. This is the situation where miscommunication is most problematic, but also most common. Galra communicate sexual intent purely through scent and never with touch or non-verbal sound. A galra touching another galra’s genital area is generally simply an act of caring for another’s hygiene or help in the matters of excretion. If a galra wishes to have consensual sex with another species, they need to revert to verbal communication.

On the origins of life and galran genetics

No, this is not a rewrite of Darwin’s famous book, although evolution and natural selection have certainly played their part in the process.

It all starts with quintessence. Or rather, it would start with quintessence if it had originated in a place where time existed. It doesn’t, but for the sake of not twisting our minds around complex physics, let’s just say that every moment in every universe is “now” in the metaverse of quintessence underlying all existence. This is important because quintessence contains and provides the blueprint for the beginnings of life. All life in the explored universe, no matter how old or new it is, consists of four ingredients: nucleic acids (always DNA and possibly a few others), a selection out of a pool of 32 amino acids (of which galra possess 25, with 18 of those overlapping with humans), and a vast variety of lipids and saccharides. Of course, just because everything begins at a similar starting point, doesn’t mean that they all arrive at the same finish line. Surprisingly, though, many of the creatures evolving on entirely separate planets share similarities beyond what can be explained by convergent evolution to the forms most efficient for common types of environment and ubiquitous laws of physics and chemistry.

Galra are a good example of this. They are bipedal mammals, with hands possessing opposable thumbs (though not necessarily 5 fingers). They have faces with two eyes, two ears, a nose in the centre, and a mouth in the lower part. These characteristics are shared by about 90% of all intelligent life. Yet, uniquely among the intelligent species, they are tetraploid. The tetraploidy seemed to be a happy accident far down the equivalent of mammalian line on Daibazaal. It gave the species an excellent advantage by allowing easy assimilation of genetic material from other species by the means of introgression. Indeed, it would seem that in galra, natural selection favoured those with better gene assimilation abilities over those simply adapting to the environment directly. It is thanks to this ability that galra are an intelligent species, as fossil findings on Daibazaal prior to its destruction showed that their ancestors mixed heavily with a reptilian species well on its way to technological intelligence. In fact, so much of that species’ DNA remains active in modern galra, that it would not be incorrect to claim that they are equally descended from both.

The tetraploidy has several interesting effects. The higher number of gene copies often results in higher expression, in most extreme cases going so far as to fully duplicate certain organs. The most interesting result of this is in the biological sexes of galra. There are four different sexual chromosomes present in the species: X, Y, Z, and W. A pair of X or Z chromosomes must be present for an embryo to be viable and the actual order of the chromosomes does not matter, but that still leaves 32 possible combinations of sexual chromosomes.

This diversity results in a spectrum of sexes, many of which are determined purely through the presence of hormones. The sexual chromosomes are also in epistasis with chromosomes containing genes coding for many aspects of outward appearance. The XY promote the growth of fur while ZW promote scales and in rare cases feathers. In general, the sexes can be divided into full-sexed, who possess only one set of reproductive organs, and neuter, who possess two. A short list of possible sexes, their proportions in the population and their descriptions follows.

Full female - 7%, possesses no Z or Y chromosomes and a single set of reproductive organs (ovaries+uterus). Known example: Dayak. 

Full male - 3%, possesses no X or W chromosomes and a single set of reproductive organs (testes). Known example: Antok, Zarkon (The difference in frequency of the two full sexed groups comes from the fact that ZW chromosomes are rarer than the XY ones.)

Neuter - 90%, possesses a combination of chromosomes other than listed above and two different sets of reproductive organs. This group is subdivided depending on secondary sexual characteristics which become prominent during puberty. The development of gonadal structures is not prenatal in the galra, so unlike in the full-sexed individuals, neuters do not exhibit any sign of which sex they will belong to. The term is somewhat misleading, as it makes these galra sound infertile, but aside from having libido lower than the full-sexed, they are not impaired in reproduction. The subgroups are as follows:

Neuter-female - 5%, possesses more feminine characteristics* (E.g. Krolia)

Neuter-male - 50%, possesses more masculine characteristics* (E.g. Kolivan, Thace)

True-neuter - 35%, does not possess strong characteristics* of either sex (E.g. Ulaz, Regris)

*(by galran standards)

The neuter-males and females usually act and look the same way as their full-sexed counterparts upon maturation and do not reproduce in the other way outside of extreme extenuating circumstances. True neuters have no secondary sexual characteristics the lowest libido of all variants and often do not reproduce at all. The final sex of a neuter can be influenced by the ratio of sexes present in the individuals around him.

Galran sexes cannot be differentiated by external genitalia. A male’s testes will descend if he is mating with an ovulating female (or if the population density of galra around him drops suddenly), but outside of that, there is no visible difference between the sexes. Even full-females possess a pseudopenis and the entrance to a galra’s vagina is concealed within their cloaca. A breastfeeding individual will have swollen teats, but since all neuters are capable of breastfeeding, this does not help much.

What about Keith? He has XXXY chromosomes and is, therefore, a neuter. He is still too young for further categorization. Prior to his transformation, he had what appeared to be normal human prepubescent male genitalia and the last time he had a full check-up, he was still young enough to simply pass for a late bloomer. His undeveloped female genitalia would not be noticed at all, partly due to being nothing more than a wrinkle in the internal tissues and partly because they would not form an extra orifice as they would in some intersex humans. The reason behind his delayed transformation may also be ascribed to biochemical causes. Keith’s proteins, as a combination of galra and human, consist of 27 different amino acids. Some of these are essential, meaning that his body cannot produce them. The ones essential for humans could be easily found within the food on Earth, but the ones essential to galran kits (the adults are capable of producing them all) would not. As such, Keith’s body shut down all the galran processes and substituted them by the human ones where possible in an attempt at self-preservation. His nervous system was especially affected by this, as it was deficient not only in amino acids but also in essential fatty acids. A great part of Keith’s aggression and impulsiveness had been caused by this deficiency, although some fault lies within his childhood experiences in the foster system. Had he stayed on Earth, he would have either died a slow and painful death alone, or he would have eventually been discovered to be a half-alien, which would not end well for him either.

On galran lifecycle

A new galra’s life begins with sex. The act of sex is something mechanically very similar to other mammals, so we will not be going into any details there. Instead, we begin with conception, i.e. the formation of a zygote.

This process differs depending on whether the mother mates with a galra or a member of different species. In the case of mating with conspecifics, the process is the same as is usual in eutherian mammals. The only fact of note is that the number of eggs released during ovulation is always equal to the number of packmates the mother has. In the case of mating with another species, however, things get much more complicated.

The important factors influencing this are actually triggered before the ovulation. When a galra decides to bear kits, they first need to increase their own libido. Synthetic hormones are generally used for this purpose in the current era. The future mother would then have sex with the chosen mates at precisely measured intervals.The timing of these couplings is paramount. Random acts of frequent sex do not lead to pregnancy in galra. The recipient vaginal tissues triggering ovulation only become active only for several short time windows over a phoeb and need to be stimulated on at least 80% of the occasions.

If the mates are galra, they will not ejaculate during this intercourse, but rather exchange hormones. The vagina of a galra ready to conceive secretes a hormone that enhances sperm production. The pre-ejaculate of the mates contains chemical signals showing the state of the testes. If these signals are present, ovulation happens normally. However, if these signals are absent while the vagina is repeatedly stimulated, a different process takes place. 

First, the channel connecting the uterus and the vagina locks, preventing sperm from entering. A single egg is then released, which, while still unfertilized, begins to develop until it reaches the stage of the blastula. At that point, it had descended into the uterus and it attaches itself to the wall. Once the egg is firmly nested, the channel opens, permitting the entry of the sperm. Each cell of the blastula egg is fertilized separately but does not begin developing into an embryo immediately. Instead, each zygote is scanned by the mother’s enzymes and the cells are sorted. All that remain diploid or triploid are eliminated outright. The genetic information that had been present in those cells can be taken up by those that are still alive and incorporated into their own nucleus. The second wave of checks removes all zygotes with genetic aberrations recognized as not viable. The third check searches for obvious damage to the DNA strands and missing chromosomes. If the number of chromosomes between the species differs, the strongest zygote will cannibalize the weaker ones to steal some chromosomes from them. In the end, only one zygote is left out of the original blastula (in rare cases where there are more, the offspring exhibits chimerism) and it begins the proper embryonic development anew. The mother’s body analyses the remains of the sperm and determines if any extra nutrients would be necessary for healthy prenatal development of the kit. If yes, the body will slow down the growth of the embryo and alter its digestive tract to be able to provide these.

The gestation period in pure galra is short, only 6 phoebs, and the kits are not well developed when they are born. They are blind, their ears are closed and they need constant care. The packmates will take one kit each, with the one born last remaining with the mother. The kits instinctively latch onto the galra that takes them from the mother as soon as their next sibling is born. If the father is not galra, the mother will gestate longer and give birth to a single better-developed kit. 

Full galran kits spend the first deca-phoeb firmly attached to the fur of the caretaker. They will be taken off only for a few doboshes each quintant, to allow them to nurse or void. The kits are tiny and require little sustenance, but develop slowly. A kit of five deca-phoebs is comparable to a 9-month-old human baby. After their fifth deca-phoeb, the kit’s physical development slows down and they start developing mentally instead. At twenty deca-phoebs, they are comparable to two-year-old human babies physically and five-year-old children mentally. Drawing further parallels with human development, they gain about a year’s worth of growth for every 10 deca-phoebs physically. Mentally, they reach a level of a human preadolescent at about 50 deca-phoebs and remain there until about 160 deca-phoebs, when the puberty begins. During the puberty, the sexual organs develop first, taking about 15 deca-phoebs to mature, and secondary sexual characteristics develop later or do not develop at all since sexual dimorphism serves no purpose in galra and is only expressed due to genes gained through introgression. A galra reaches full maturity at the age of 220 deca-phoebs. Their natural lifespan is currently unknown as no signs of senescence have been observed in any living individual with the exception of those prolonging their life through quintessence. In their case, the signs of senescence such as greying and loss of muscle mass may appear prematurely.

On galran gender 

The organisation of galran physical sexes may seem complicated, but it is practically straightforward compared to galran genders. The main reason for that is that the concept of gender never arose within the galran civilization. They first encountered it after discovering space travel and meeting other intelligent life. What needs to be pointed out first, is that this isn’t merely a case of seeing all individuals as belonging to one gender with very wide definition, but a total lack of the concept within both language and the society.

The societal part, gender roles, is easier to explain. Within mammals, these roles are usually well established due to the fact that females are the only ones capable of lactating and therefore caring for the offspring. A male may provide protection from predators or share food with the female, but the survival of the young is still almost entirely dependent on the female, especially during the earliest stages of development. It is therefore normal for social mammalian animals to split the tasks depending on sex, giving rise to a social expectation that a member of that sex will fulfil the appropriate tasks. If the population rises to the level of civilization, these stereotypes might become fixed as gender roles. Since galran neuters can lactate, however, this division of tasks never occurred within the ancestors of the galra. All members of a pack with kits would take care of them equally. Only 3% of the population, the full males, cannot lactate and these would still take part in tasks such as stimulating the kits to void. Indeed, it is likely due to the fact that kits are extremely high maintenance that a difference between full males and neuters did not appear in society. Feeding is only one of the many tasks that a bonded caretaker needs to fulfil, and while extremely important, it is a relatively small item compared to providing constant physical touch, emotional support, and protection. Gravidity did not influence this development either, as all neuters can conceive and the gestation period is extremely short in comparison with the galran lifespan.

Things get a bit more tangled when it comes to the language because galran does contain words for male and female. These words, however, are scientific terms (literally translating to “one who produces sperm” and “one who gestates”) almost always used in connection with other species, and especially non-intelligent animals (the terms for the 5 galran sexes discussed previously were not developed by the galra until they started comparing their anatomy with alteans for medical purposes). In fact, calling someone by one of these words outside of medical context is considered highly insulting in galran, like calling someone a cow or a bitch in English. 

There are no grammatical categories or personal pronouns for gender either. Three different personal pronouns exist within galran. The original galran contained only two of these. One, which is still used and refers to inanimate objects and non-intelligent animals, and another which literally translates to galra/galra’s. The latter of the two fell out of use some time after the discovery of other civilizations, as it was seen as extremely species insensitive. A new pronoun, translatable as person/person’s, was invented and remains in mainstream use despite the empire’s specieist tendencies. An interesting phenomenon occurs when this pronoun is translated. By the time this word was created, the galran linguists were already aware of the concept of gender existing in other languages. They designed the word to encompass them all, rather than to be gender-neutral and that creates a conceptual overlap in the quintessence emissions used by the translators. As a result, the final version of the pronoun that arrives into the brain of the listener may be gendered depending on how the person perceives the subject. For example, since the paladins thought of Ulaz as a male, they used to hear “he/him” when another galra mentioned him in a conversation even though Ulaz is actually true neuter. Once they found out about galran sexes (from Ulaz’s lectures of course) the paladins’ perception of galra had changed and from then on, they would hear a “they/them” in relation to Ulaz or any unknown galra. The galra themselves do not care by what pronouns they are referred to in other languages because the translator simply converts all of them into the universal one.

As for the concept itself, galran philosophers, neurologists, psychologists, linguists and many other experts have laboured to apply it to their species, with various degrees of success. The clearest answer was obtained by neuroscientists, who discovered that in the brains of the species with genders, certain structures vary in size, shape and neuron density depending on the gender they perceive themselves as, and independent from their biological sex. The investigation of analogous structures in galran brains showed no variation occurring. Therefore, it was concluded that the galra do not have a physiological basis for gender differentiation*. The more philosophically inclined have taken this fact and began building theories from it. These come in a spectrum. On one extreme are those saying that galra do not have genders at all, on the other, those who propose that each galra has their own individual and unique gender which exists during their lifespan and ceases to exist with their death. In the intermediate area are those attempting to classify galran genders into groups. These vary in number from a conservative 5 to an extremely detailed list of 1438. All theorists agree on one point, however, and that is that whether galra have a gender or how they wish to express it are private matters between a galra and their pack and not something to be questioned publicly.

*An investigation of the genetic basis for this uniformity showed that, while galra do have some degree of sexual dimorphism in nearly all bodily structures due to their diverse background, the genes coding for their nervous system are completely dominant over those inherited from other species. The genes inherited from the intelligent reptilian species are the only exception to this, and even those were expressed only where they coded for completely new structures previously absent from galran nervous and regulatory systems. The most important of these was the neocortex. The rest were mostly various sensory centres and some divergent primitive glands (not located within the cranium). While the latter of these did not play a role in propelling galra toward intelligence, they still serve an important function: synthesizing amino acids and fatty acids. These are, in fact, the very reason why galra are no longer dependent on food from their home-world like almost all other alien species. This makes them especially apt at conquest since they do not need to rely so heavily on supply lines and may simply buy/steal food from any planet system they pass.

Pack dynamics

Galra are obligately social creatures who congregate in small groups called packs. Two major pack types can be observed among the galra: temporary and stable. Stable packs are familial units consisting of three or more individuals who may or may not be related. They are long term arrangements which one usually leaves only under three circumstances: if it’s their parental pack, if it has grown too large, or death. If the parental pack is too large, the whole litter of kits usually leaves together to found a new one. 

Temporary packs are short-term arrangements of convenience created when several galra have to spend time away from their stable pack. Depending on the situation, they may eventually be consolidated or fall apart. One good example are the galran military academies. The galra attending those will form temporary pacts with their classmates and these often become stable if they receive their permanent assignment together. It is entirely possible for one galra to be a member of several stable packs. In that case he is usually accepted as a fringe member in all packs but his main one. Going back to the previous example, a soldier doesn’t lose his place in his parental pack just because he is a part of a stable pack consisting of his cohort. 

There are very few things that are universal among all galran packs. No stable pack contains more than one full-sexed individual (speaking of adults only of course). All packs have a leader. This is usually the oldest member, but it might just be the one with the most experience and respect. The leader doesn’t actually command obedience. Their role is more along the lines of a trusted confidant to each pack member and they have a final word in any decision concerning the whole pack. The leader may or may not also be the centre of the pack. The central galra is the one who brings the pack together and who has equally strong bonds to each and every other member. As an example, in Keith’s pack, Kolivan is both the leader and the central person, being a mix of a parent and an older sibling for everyone. Keith is also a central person to some extent since everyone sees him as their kit. 

When a larger number of stable packs lives together for a longer time, they form a community. A sort of a metapack where each single pack is a unit of a greater whole. The Blade of Marmora operates on this principle since all the agents are extremely close and loyal to each other. A metapack is a great advantage to the blades because frequent destabilization of one’s pack may lead to severe mental issues in galra. Since blade agents may die at any moment, the thought that the ones left behind will immediately be accepted by the other packs is very comforting to them.

One very irregular factor affecting the pack dynamics are mated relationships. The term mates, when applied to the galran culture, means two or more individuals engaging in occasional sexual relations. Since full sexed individuals and neuter males tend to have a somewhat active libido, they will at times seek sexual gratification. Many choose to simply take care of any urges by themselves, through masturbation, but some prefer to seek intercourse with others. Galra are not by any means monogamous, but neither are they likely to engage in any intimate activities with strangers. Instead, the galra will search the community for willing partners. These are often from several different packs. By becoming mates, they help mesh the groups into a tighter community. In a case where one of the mates is a female who wishes to conceive, the mates who wish to father her kits must become members of her stable pack. They do not lose their place in the original pack if they do so, but rather they often merge the packs into a larger temporary one, in which all members help raise the litter.

  
  


The main reason why stable packs are so important to galran mental health is the physiological need for touch. Galran nervous system has evolved in such a way that certain neurotransmitters essential to the continuous functioning of the brain are only produced if the sensory nerves are stimulated by physical contact with another living being. Trusted conspecifics are the best at eliciting this response, hence the need for a pack. If those are unavailable, a strange galra or a trusted member of another species can act as substitutes, but at a lower efficiency. One may ask how did a species survive and evolve such an obvious weakness, but the answer is quite simple. The genes affecting this trait appear to be in epistasis with a major part of those affecting the genetic flexibility of the species. Since the only galra who were reproducing were those with stable packs, there was no selective pressure on the former aspect of the genes but a directional selection was acting on the latter trait. The genes for needing touch soon became strongly linked to genes coding for instinctual pack behaviours and so galra went from a species with reproducing packs and some loners to a species entirely concentrating into packs. This is one of the oldest evolutionary changes in the timeline of the galran ancestral species.

On galran urinary tract and the history of plumbing

Daibazaal was a planet with very little surface water and as a result, both animals and plants living there had developed a plethora of adaptations against desiccation. Those within galra include an ability to collect water from food very efficiently, to the point where they do not need to drink at all if their food is sufficiently fresh, the ability to reabsorb water from their bladders (which is one of the reasons why those are so large), and the ability to lock their sphincters against releasing if they need to extract additional fluids from their urine. This last measure might help prevent death from dehydration, but it also causes problems in the case where a galra’s bladder overfills. If a galra consciously holds their urine, their body assumes that it is due to impending dry period and locks up. This did not impact the galran animal ancestors too much, as they could go whenever they needed to and if they got locked up anyway, a packmate would help them.

It became slightly more problematic when the galra achieved the stage of civilization. With a high concentration of individuals in an urbanized area, sanitation became a major concern. Due to the fact that holding one’s urine for a prolonged period of time may result in death, the galra had never developed cultural taboos against public urination. A galra of any age could attend to their needs whenever they had to, without any reprimand. Although these galra were mindful of their surroundings and would not urinate in frequented places, the centres of any settlement larger than a village soon gained an unpleasant odour and showed a greater risk of contracting certain diseases. 

To resolve the issue, the governing family funded a massive project involving civil engineering and chemical industry with an aim to provide the cities with the infrastructure necessary to keep the citizens comfortable. The task involved rebuilding the urban areas to create spaces for the new public toilets and designing a way to chemically dispose of the waste without the unpleasant side effects. The project eventually resulted in a city plan that would become the template for nearly all galran settlements and the invention of chemical toilets, generally trough-like structures accounting for the variation in galran morphology. These toilets were not equipped to handle solid waste, as that did not carry the same urgency as urination and most galra preferred to attend to it in the privacy of their homes. The private toilets owned by most galra were nothing more than sophisticated latrines at that time. It took about 60 more deca-phoebs before a new invention caused these to become obsolete. This was, of course, the biological toilet. 

While these new technologies solved the problems of the urban sanitation, the fact still remained that a galra working a job would need to take a break every few vargas. In most occupations, this did not cause any problems, but there were many important and difficult tasks, such as surgery, which could not simply be interrupted. The measures to deal with these situations were often haphazard or lacking entirely, resulting in several professions going on frequent strikes to demand betterment of their work conditions. The problem would not be resolved until the age of space exploration.

Once the galra established contact with nearby civilizations, they began exchanging trade and research agreements. One of the technologies they acquired was en experimental space suit design with a waste filter attached. The aliens it originated from did not deem this technology to be important and thought that they have cleverly scammed the galra out of some money. The galra, recognizing the potential usefulness of such a technology, were of the opinion that it was more than worth it.

The perfected waste filter technology caused a revolution in galran culture, both in working standards and fashion. The filters could deconstruct several litres of urine and were swiftly adopted in nearly all workplaces, reducing the need for breaks. This meant that nearly all galra would wear some form of a uniform. All clothing had previously been mostly decorative since the fur and scales of galra were enough to protect them from ambient conditions. The galra who were required to wear protective clothing as a part of their profession only wore what was strictly necessary and only during working hours. After the advent of the filter technology, however, nearly all galra adopted the habit of wearing bodysuits even during their free time. The fabric industry had experienced an unprecedented boom, barely keeping up with the new demand.

Since then, the technology had advanced. It is customary for all galra to wear filter “underwear” - a fabric thin piece capable of handling a quintant’s worth of urine simply for the sake of convenience. All galra serving within the empire’s army wear industrial-strength filters as a part of their armour. The most advanced filters, such as the one Keith’s suit is equipped with, are somewhat bulkier, but they are capable of processing a deca-phoeb’s worth of both urine and faeces before needing to be scrapped.


End file.
